


Intertwined

by Aina_Riddle



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Genre: Allspark Sam Witwicky, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28313925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aina_Riddle/pseuds/Aina_Riddle
Summary: This is a rewrite of an old story that I started on fanfiction.net a decade ago. Post RotF. OP/SW. Slash. Will have elements from 3rd movie, DotM, but pretty much ignores all the other movies.Summary: The events with the Fallen and his revival at the hands of the Primes and the Matrix of Leadership triggered a change to begin in Samuel Witwicky. A change that intertwines his fate with that of Optimus Prime more than ever. Now he's dealing with abilities he's never had before and his entire world is changing only for him to also find the fate of an entire race on the cusp of extinction lies on his shoulders.
Relationships: Arcee/Bumblebee (Transformers), Ironhide/Ratchet (Transformers), Jazz/Prowl (Transformers), Jolt/Sideswipe/Sunstreaker, Mikaela Banes/Sam Witwicky, Optimus Prime/Sam Witwicky
Comments: 16
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As stated in the summary, this is a rewrite and continuation of a story I began on fanfiction.net a decade ago and never finished as I went on an unintentional, decade-long hiatus from writing. Hopefully the summary is okay, but I've never been good at summarizing anything. I will finish this story, but updates will be slow as I do not have much time for writing (although I wish I did). I'm going to hope for at least updating every other week if I can't manage weekly.
> 
> Another note, the Fallen and the Primes original arrival on Earth (17,000 BC) seems too close to the arrival of the Allspark on Earth (10,000 BC) for such a long-lived race to have had their society crumble so quickly, so I'm gonna say the Fallen and Primes arrived on Earth 80,000 or so years sooner than canon. Humans will still be around to annoy Megatronus enough to becomes the Fallen like the bastard he is, so it works for me.

** Chapter One **

_...It is, and always has been, your destiny._ The words of the Primes echoed in Sam's head in a perpetual intonation of their mechanical whirs, clicks, and warbles. It had taken the fifth repeat of the memory through his anxious mind for him to realize that the Primes had not spoken to him in English, but in their native tongue of Cyber. His thoughts tried to scatter and swirl around to the multiple reasons that could have caused this development, but like the fine grains of sand that irritated his wounds Sam ignored them and focused again on the meaning of the words. It was difficult; however, he had spent the past two years coping with the steady advancement of his intellectual capacity and the past few days with the incremental advancement spiking to leaps and bounds, so he had plenty of practice. _Destiny_... Just that word caused multiple images and branches of thought to burst into his mind and he winced. Placing a shaking hand briefly on his temple to ground himself, Sam flinched at the contact with his burned and broken hand and forced his straining eyes to stare at the Egyptian city walls that hid the fate of his world.

The sounds of battle were a dull roar in his ears and Sam absently wondered if he would be shot again, but the images that briefly flashed in his mind at this possibility were so few that he dismissed the thought. Most of the Decepticons that had joined the battle were already offline or would soon join their comrades if they failed to escape. Ironhide was always thorough, ever since he had lost comrades to a not-so-dead Decepticon back in Iacon. Sam clenched his teeth at the knowledge he shouldn't know and tried to focus. The contact with the Matrix of Leadership had done something to him and accelerated what the Allspark had started, and Sam knew this time whatever it was could not be ignored for long, but he was his mother's son and stubbornness was his middle name. A warm hand squeezed his own and Sam focused on the feeling of the body of his best friend leaning against him, the weight familiar and comfortable, and he gave her hand a small squeeze in gratitude before a feeling at the edge of his awareness drew his attention elsewhere.

The chaotic hum that had grated at his senses ever since the Fallen's arrival was snuffed out so quickly that the sudden absence of it was startling and the silence was briefly overwhelming. The familiar hum of his friends' sparks entered the silence and Sam zoned in of the lights of life he could sense and not see, hidden in their spark chambers as they were. It was an ability that Sam had subconsciously been aware of and that he figured was a result of his contact to their source of life two years previous. However, it had gotten much stronger after he had been zapped by the sliver. Optimus's spark hummed full and bright, stronger and slightly different in its familiarity, the echo of Jetfire's energy encasing the spark signature in a quickly-fading protective field. The familiar power of Megatron's spark signature had been imprinted on Sam since the moment he had destroyed it, energy burning at his hands, and so he could feel it leaving the battlefield alongside another, who could only be Starscream. Odd traces of the Fallen's spark signature were fracturing off the retreating sparks and the chaotic energy that spiked through their sparks seemed to be stabilizing before they finally left his range. Something screamed at him that this was important and everything about it mattered, but the thought was pushed to the wayside as Optimus came into view.

Familiar blue, battle-scarred armor glinted in the Egyptian sun in an inspiring image as Optimus gazed upon his remaining comrades, the extraneous parts provided by Jetfire falling to the wayside to be collected later. Sam made a mental note to speak to Ratchet about Jetfire later before he gave a weak, relieved grin towards his alien friend as Mikaela wrapped her arms around him. His attention on Optimus's nearing spark energy became peripheral but not forgotten at the reminder of her presence. Turning his attention to his beautiful and stubborn girlfriend Sam wrapped his own arms around her in an embrace and squeezed, chuckling softly as she squeaked and lightly smacked an uninjured part of his arm. The action caused him to scan his numerous injuries and Sam was impressed at Mikaela's ability to find a place to hit without injuring him further, but her time spent under Ratchet's tutelage during the summers had apparently not gone to waste. The cranky medic was great at teaching someone how to aim a wrench and not cause further injury to the patient. Anchoring himself mentally and physically using the warm, familiar presence of his loving girlfriend, Sam catalogued the injuries he could see and consciously feel.

His arms were a mess of cuts and second and third degree burns. Skin flaked off in parts, the meat of his arms glistening in the sun beneath the blood and sand that irritated the injuries further. His back, neck, and arms felt like they had been placed in a sand filled meat grinder before he was duct-taped back together to a barely-alive state of being. And his bones ached where the Primes had somehow hastily healed him to where his body would function, the healed joints and tendons sore as he subtlety stretched his aching shoulders in the confines of the embrace. Cuts and burns gleamed in places with the bright silver that matched the Matrix he had died for and a brief frown touched Sam's lips before a small hand lightly grazed his neck, causing just enough pain to grasp his attention as fingertips were placed strategically on his cheek and jaw to avoid further injury, gently forcing his gaze down into worried blue eyes. The pain of his injuries and the burning itch that traveled through his veins with every loud thump of his heart flared to a crescendo before chapped lips met his in a welcome distraction. The press of her mouth against his and the feeling of being alive to express such emotion caused him to nearly feel overwhelmed as he directed gratitude out into the cosmos to the Primes that had brought him back. He was alive.

"Sammy!" His mom's shout broke the barrier of muted sound around them and the noise of the world outside his small radius roared to life with a pounding headache to accompany it. Feeling his ears pop as he maneuvered his aching jaw around, Sam spared his mom and dad a smile, leaving Mikaela's embrace to accept theirs. "Oh god, my baby boy, I thought you were dead..."

"I mean, I was, but you know I could never leave you for long Ma," Sam joked and jerked slightly away from Mikaela in preparation for a hit she never delivered. The promise was in her eyes however and Sam pulled her into another kiss to distract her, absently waving at Simmons and Leo as they strode over. His dad spluttered before turning to his mom as she wailed slightly and dove to pull Sam and Mikaela both into a group hug. "Ow, ow, ow, watch the... well, everything! Dad, please get her. I'm fine, I promise!"

"Oh no, you brought this on yourself with that joke," Ron stated as he joined in the group hug, only to let out a small exclamation of surprise himself as a still slightly hysterical Leo joined in the hug as well. Simmons stayed back and shared a disbelieving look with Sam over Leo's shoulder. Huffing a laugh Sam relaxed and ignored the pain as he enjoyed the feeling of his loved ones surrounding him.

* * *

"Well, I won't say you're doing fine," the medic, John, drawled out in a deep southern accent. "However, passable for now considering you're no longer dead. There will be more tests done once we have the proper machines because the x-rays we've tried are having trouble with your left arm for some reason." At this John gestured to the scans still up on display. The bones glared white on the sheet, dense and thick and a little off color in the places where they had broken upon his death and been healed. Hairline fractures still lined parts of his ribs, but the most worrying part was the darkness that defined the area where his left arm was supposed to be. Sam figured his broken fingers would've been displayed there if they could have, but instead it was just a static filled black, which enveloped his whole left arm and part of his shoulder. Another x-ray image showed the healed bones of his leg, which Sam assumed had been damaged when Grindor's blades had cut his leg after Optimus had separated them from their during the fight that had been merely days ago. The leg had been damaged enough Ratchet had feared he would lose it, but luckily the stitches had held through everything and the adrenaline and pain medication combined to make the pain dull enough to ignore during his time on the run. Sam has also been a fast healer ever since Mission City.

"Now, I won't ask what mumbo jumbo happened because we all like you, kid," John stated as he stood and tapped the x-ray display. Sam felt a rush of relief at that because he had feared that the medic would pass the information of his strangely healed injuries onto people that would want to experiment on him. He had enough problems during high school when goons were investigating his rising grades and tried to confront him, not that anyone other than Mikaela knew of those instances. A full ride scholarship to Princeton was influenced by more than him saving the world, although the condition of no one being able to revoke it was influenced by only that fact. "However, whatever it was that brought you back did nothing for the flesh-wounds, so you need to make sure to take care of those. I'll be giving you more of that salve for the infection on your leg and more of the stuff for your arms. You'll be on antibiotics and pain meds for a while and I want you to be on-time with taking everything. And try to keep doc-bot away from your injuries for at least a few days unless you want to become his newest project." They both shared a wince and a tired grin at that.

"Agreed," Sam said as they both stood, John matching him in height, and Sam frowned at that. He could have sworn that he had been shorter than the N.E.S.T. medic the last time he had been treated after an accident involving freshly waxed hallways and a wall. "Did you shrink?" He gave a nervous chuckle at the outburst and awkwardly tried to run his good hand through his hair, but the stiff bandages caused him to abort the movement. His arm hung in the air for a moment before he pulled them both to his sides. "Sorry!"

"It's alright, Sam," John chuckled out as he grabbed the x-rays and stored them in a manila folder, which he promptly held out to Sam. "But no, _I_ didn't change in height, I'm not that old. Looks like your resurrection from 6 minutes of death came with a growth spurt. I would say I'm surprised you didn't notice but those borrowed clothes were probably a poorer fit yesterday morning and we've all been distracted." He waved the folder insistently and Sam grabbed it with confusion.

"What...?"

"Standard procedure regarding you, no records left for stooges to find." At this point John was already hovering over the controls of the monitors, systematically destroying any evidence to Sam's odd injuries. "So don't lose those and keep them safe. I want to compare them with newer x-rays later on. Then we can destroy all of it."

"Wait, you've been dealing with them too? And why is this standard? I'm nothing special!" Nervously crumpling the edges of the folder in his hand, Sam fidgeted in place before he slumped back down on the hard exam table. The room was too small to pace since they were still on an air carrier. And he wasn't leaving without answers.

"Nothing special? Bud, you're alive right now when you really shouldn't be." At this John stared at Sam and the folder in his lap with a meaningful look. "And the bots have their conditions with you, but if they haven't spoken to you about them then you really need to speak with Prime. He might be assuming you already know. Wait, what do you mean, 'too'?"

"Uh..." Knowing he had rambled himself into a corner, Sam slumped further where he sat. "Well, I had some people bothering me because of my grades and stuff after Mission City. I mean, I was careful and made sure that it looked like I achieved the grades with more effort than it actually took, but I guess they didn't have that much faith in my studying skills. To be fair, until I had to get those A's for my car my studying habits _were_ pretty shit."

"Dammit," the older man grumbled as he rubbed a hand tiredly over his face. "Anything else I should know? No sudden superpowers or crap like that, right? Just the government goons that you **failed** to mention in the past _two years_?"

"Well..."

"I was kidding! Shit, anymore, kid, and I'll have to bring Will in and then _he'll_ have to bring in Prime, who will then get Ratchet, and then we will never get to sleep." He slumped into his own chair again and Sam felt guilty at the additional stress he was bringing on everyone. "Oh no, don't be feeling guilty, I'm not dealing with another reprimand for being too blunt. Plus, there's not really much to feel guilty about. I've been here since nearly the beginning and I don't think we ever actually asked you about any changes. Pretty sure we were just leaving all of that to the Autobots because we had no clue how to go about dealing with all this crap. Just..." He sighed and leaned back in the chair, eyes drifting to the ceiling. "Just tell me. We can sleep when we're dead. Well, I can, I don't know about you anymore."

"Hey!" Sam spluttered as a laugh burst out of the medic's lips and a wry grin was flashed his way. Although he was still processing everything regarding his revival, Sam could still appreciate another person that coped using humor and he gave a small grin of his own before speaking again. "Anyways, I was just gonna say that although the pain meds are top-notch for everything else and not Ibuprofen like last time, it kinda feels like my veins are on fire right now. I mean, I can deal with it, but you wanted me to tell you about anything else. I wasn't going to tell you at all, but since apparently I can trust you with my medical records I figured why not." He was not going to tell him about the ability to sense sparks - that would be a conversation to have with the Autobots and maybe Will, but medical stuff he didn't mind sharing.

John frowned at the words and seemed to think for a moment before he slumped even further into his chair. "Well, I can't help with that with what we currently have. I know I said to avoid doc-bot, but you might need to bring this up with him. His scans are better than what we can manage. Just do so at your own risk." Rubbing at his face again, John waved towards the door as his hand fell. "Go on, out. I'll deliver the medicine to your room later. Make sure to read the instructions and contact me if you need clarification or anything else pops up. My cell number will be written on the instructions. Don't worry, it's encrypted up the wazoo and only used for N.E.S.T. medical matters."

"So I can just go? No Will or Optimus?" Sam was already off the table and edging his way to the door as he spoke. As personable as John was, Sam felt he was nearing the end of the man's good humor, and after so many hours cooped up in the room Sam was more than ready to get outside and to fresh air. He also wanted to check on his friends. Although he could sense the sparks of his alien friends and the frequencies seemed stable, he would feel better with a visual confirmation that they were all alive and well.

"No, I'll debrief the Major myself once you leave and he can decide who else needs to be spoken to. Feel free to save us some hassle and pass this all on to Prime though, so when we do speak with him it'll require less clarification. Just make sure to be careful where you speak." Sam nodded and fiddled with the door latch, a sense of relief flooding him as the narrow hall was revealed beyond. "Don't trip." Sam promptly tripped over the raised lip of the doorway, although he caught himself fairly quickly, and he gave the medic a glare when he chuckled out an 'I told you so'.

"Thank you, for everything," Sam said as sincerely as he could before he left and the man nodded and gave him a small smile, hands already reaching for his radio to call for Will. The door closed behind him with a click and Sam was left to navigate the ship with only the vague direction of up to go by.

It took him around thirty minutes of getting lost, struggling with the door latches and tripping over the raised doorways, and promptly getting reprimanded for not sealing the doors behind him by passing soldiers before he gave up and asked for directions. An unfamiliar soldier led him up steep stairways and a couple ladders before he was finally graced with the bright sun blinding his eyes. Blinking away the tears the light had caused, Sam muttered a thanks as the smirking soldier left and turned his attention to the hulking figures of his tallest friends.

Bumblebee gleamed in the sun, color still bright despite the scuffs from battle and the Egyptian sand that covered all of them. Sideswipe stood next to the yellow bot, silver just as bright where it peaked out from beneath the grime, and was speaking to him in quiet whirs of sound. The fighter swayed with the motion of the ship and occasionally had to adjust his stance as his wheeled feet shifted as well. A dark blue servo tapped the silver bot on the leg from where Jolt was crouched trying to fix a fussing Skids' knee joint under the gaze of a hovering Mudflap and Sideswipe glanced down at his comrade before he looked over at Sam, bringing Bee's attention to his charge's presence. Bee chirped a goodbye to his friends and hurried over to Sam, eagerly lifting the boy and running a quick scan over him.

"Nice to see you too, Bud," Sam laughed and only winced slightly as Bee held him a little too roughly. Sometimes in his eagerness his friend forgot that Sam was more fragile than his other comrades. "Careful though, I don't want Ratchet after you." Sensing shame from his friend, Sam patted the servo holding him consolingly. A quick sorry from somewhere on the radio came from Bee's speakers and Sam waved off the apology quickly. "No worries, you know that.

"Anyways, how is everyone holding up?" Bee gave a so-so gesture and held Sam up to where he could look at everyone for himself. Feeling slightly ridiculous at the height, Sam gave a cursory glance around and noted that everyone except for the femmes seemed to be accounted for. Ironhide seemed to be discussing something with the soldiers and Sam saw Will moving away from the group and down below deck. A flash of yellow in a corner told Sam where Ratchet was and he could only assume that was where the missing femmes were. He knew that two of the femmes had been hurt pretty bad in the fight and he could only sense two sparks in that corner. Ratchet and the slightly larger frequency of a femme. Sam wasn't yet familiar enough with his ability to distinguish which femme still lived, especially since he had not spent much time with the newer arrivals and from what he could tell their sparks were eerily similar, but he still felt the loss acutely. Any Cybertronian life lost was a waste at this point. There were so few left. Sam didn't know how he knew this fact, but he was aware of just how much this now pointless war was destroying an entire race.

Bee placed him back down on the ground after a moment and gave an apologetic warble, tapping his helm to indicate he had received a comm, before hurrying over to the corner where Ratchet was working. Mikaela hurried around the corner briefly, gave a nod to Sam at seeing him, and turned around and back to her place at Ratchet's side once Bee reached her. Feeling a slight worry, Sam focused on the sparks in that corner and felt the femme spark weakening slightly. As he focused he could almost see the sparks as if they were in front of him and Sam watched, fascinated, as Bee's bright spark seemed to reached over what had been a barely visible thread previously to a slowly thickening, glowing line that connected to the femme spark.

"Sam?" The voice came from beside him and Sam jumped as he realized Sidewipe had somehow managed to walk up next to him without Sam's notice. Sensing amusement from the silver bot, Sam blushed and felt shame for intruding on what had to be a private moment unintentionally. Despite the limited range of their expressions on metal faceplates, Sam could sense the question in Sideswipe's look and he shrugged, wincing as the motion agitated his injuries. Nodding at the non-answer, Sideswipe continued speaking. "Optimus said he'll meet you at the front of the ship. **He seems to think me some kind of courier-bot**." Ignoring the last sentence grumbled in a language he shouldn't be able to understand, Sam nodded and muttered a quick thanks before he turned to start navigating his way towards the ship.

Twenty minutes later Sam stood staring at the setting sun as it glittered on the shifting ocean, the sight calming and a welcome reprieve from everything that had happened over the past week. It felt as if the sun was setting on a chapter in his life and Sam worried briefly about what the next chapter would bring before he forced his mind to blank and just enjoy the breeze and the calming scenery. The familiar groan of metal and whirring of gears alerted Sam to Optimus's approach as clearly as the bright spark humming with life that greeted his new senses. Knowing that spark chamber was filled with the light and soul of his friend and no longer guttered and dark made his smile widen as he looked up in greeting.

"Thank you, Sam, for saving my life," Optimus said in his deep and soothing voice and Sam felt warm at the gratitude he could practically feel from the Autobot leader. He shivered as the memory of his friend dying in that forest crept into his thoughts, spark chamber exposed and optics dimming further at each passing second, and forced himself to think instead of Optimus's resurrection. The feel of the matrix digging into his hand and the power it contained burning with a fury as he stabbed it deep into the empty, hastily patched spark chamber. The feeling as Optimus's spark traveled from the Allspark connection within him and through him and back into its original body, flaring into life in the empty chamber and enveloping Sam in its power. He still felt a slight connection to the spark of the one beside him and he wondered briefly if Optimus felt the same or if it was just imagined on Sam's part. No indication was given as to whether he did or not and Sam was not eager to have many conversations in the future, that one included, and so he did not bring it up.

"You're welcome." Always, never again would Sam fail him. "Thank you for believing in me," he replied, remembering his selfish actions at the graveyard where he had met Optimus and had denied granting the help his friend had been seeking. Optimus had known somehow that Sam would be able to help, although Sam suspected it wasn't in this capacity. He briefly wondered if Optimus had known their destinies were intertwined or if he had just had faith him, but the answer didn't matter. He had believed in him despite any misgivings Sam's actions should have invoked, giving up his own life to save him, which Sam had willingly done in return. A comfortable silence fell between them as they both returned to staring at the ocean and Sam glanced up at Optimus as his gaze turned skyward and a transmission was stated aloud in Cyber.

" **Our races, united by a history long forgotten, and a future we shall face together. I am Optimus Prime and I send this message so that our pasts will always be remembered, for in those memories, we live on.** " The message was broadcast for any remaining Autobots in the cosmos to receive and Sam couldn't help the excitement he felt at knowing the Autobots would remain on Earth, and with him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! Here's another chapter, although the next one might be a couple weeks from now. I'm trying to stay ahead by a couple chapters and the next two have been giving me difficulty when choosing the layout and if I do want to use some specific plot points or not. My plans for this fic are for it to be a long one (which might be evident in that this chapter is twice the length of the previous), as I like exploring the reactions of the characters and their development. I'm also writing fanfiction to hone my writing skills, so fleshing out story elements is rather fun. Also, just to inform those who are wondering, Mikaela and Sam are still a couple but there have been hints already given as to the depth of that romance and their breakup actually happens within the next couple chapters. This is most definitely an Optimus/Sam story, although probably what some would consider a slow burn, as I am also trying to have more than romance developing the plot.
> 
> Some warning, although not much, mentions of panic attacks in the beginning and three barely-adult civilians having to deal with the trauma of being caught in an alien war and then hunted by aliens and humans both. I'm not a psychologist so I don't go into many details, but also because I am not I do not know what may trigger some people so I'm warning to be cautious. Anyways, hope y'all enjoy the story!

** Chapter Two**

Soft white lights sparked on the edge of his awareness and Sam tilted his head in their direction, facing the ceiling with his eyes still closed. It was strange, this seeing without actually physically seeing what he knew to be the sparks of his Autobot friends. The details were fuzzy and Sam knew if he focused on any particular light that he would eventually start to see the churning electricity and the swirls, patterns, and colors unique to each, but he had only accidentally done so once unintentionally and did not intend to do so again. It felt wrong to see their literal souls bared to him without their notice or permission. However, he couldn't stop being aware of the sparks and the need to _know_ that their sparks still churned in their chambers, safe and whole, kept him practicing the past two days. All of the lights were essentially in the same positions as they had been yesterday. The subconscious familiarity he had with the sparks of the Autobots was the only way he was able to sense who was who. What he knew to be Bee's spark frequency had moved slightly closer to Arcee (the surviving femme) and the odd strand of light that connected them still thrummed steady and strong. The presence of their sparks and the bond between them being safe and whole was all he allowed himself to check before he purposely avoided looking at any particular lights and instead just relaxed at their presence.

A soft whimper brought Sam back to the physical world and he absently reached beside himself to press his hand on the back of the figure sleeping in the bed he leaned his side against. The bunks in his quarters were small and only comfortably fit one person at a time, so when Mikaela had turned up late last evening exhausted and tearful Sam had been more than willing to allow her his cot as he took a spot up against the wall and beside the door. Close enough for her to know he was there and for him to reach her easily as he started to attempt to meditate. Not knowing how to actually meditate other than breathing deeply and relaxing didn't hinder his progress despite his fears. The presence of his friends helped calm him more than being alone ever would because he was able to reassure himself of their safety. No Decepticons had them and Sam was there to help with any night terrors. The duty also helped him avoid sleeping. Mikaela's warm back rose in a deep, steady rhythm under his palm and Sam frowned as he heard another whimper before he realized that the noise was coming from above him.

Opening his eyes, Sam used the bed to help himself off the ground and winced as the movements pulled at his healing burns. The bandages shifted slightly, coming unstuck from where the salve had caused them to cling and Sam made a mental note to get them changed again in the morning. As the whimpering grew louder and started to form into partially muted shouts of terror Sam forced his mind to focus on the current situation. Moving as quick as his stiff limbs allowed, Sam stepped closer to the bunk and looked at the thrashing form of his roommate. Leo was on his back with his face scrunched in terror and body tangled in the thin blanket as he twisted and turned. Sam could hear him muttering about how he didn't want to die before his face twisted into a mockery of pain as his nightmare turned worse. Sam hoped Leo wouldn't get offended before he quickly made sure the digital alarm clock was still under a shirt, bright red numbers purposely hidden, and reached his good hand forward. Murmuring assurances under his breath before he started to absently hum the lullaby Mikaela and him always used in these instances with each other, Sam lightly pressed on Leo's shoulder and started rubbing small circles before slowly reaching higher and smoothing back the sweat drenched curls that clung to a creased forehead. Running his finger soothingly through the curls, Leo slowly relaxed and his breathing evened out, although not deep enough to indicate he was still asleep. Not wanting to make the situation awkward, Sam pulled his hand away and stepped back before turning to move back to his spot on the floor.

"Thanks," the whisper was quiet, hesitant, but Sam heard it nonetheless and he glanced back to see Leo's eyes glittering in the semi-darkness of the room.

"Anytime." They looked at each other for a moment longer, neither moving, before Leo turned on his side to face Sam better and Sam turned back towards the bed. "I'm sorry if that was too personal, but--"

"Is it always like this?" The whispered question had a hint of desperation to it and Sam carefully thought of his answer and hesitated only a moment longer before replying.

"It gets... better... over time, although I suppose the severity depends on what you go through," Sam paused and glanced down at Mikaela, smiling as he saw her eyes open and looking at him with a warm, encouraging smile on her face. "It helps to have someone else that knows and can help, but yeah, it does get better."

"I just-- I just never thought my conspiracies would be real and lead to _this_ ," Leo admitted in a small voice, his eyes trained on the mattress. "It was something to do, something fun that I could bullshit with my friends about. It wasn't supposed to be real. It wasn't supposed to _hurt_ anyone." Sam knew that his friend was thinking of the news article they had read earlier that day that had detailed the injuries and casualties from the library at Princeton. It had been a few days old and listed Sam and Leo as suspects for the bombing, which didn't help with the guilt. Sam felt it too, but he really was the reason the Decepticons had been there.

"Don't. Don't blame yourself for any of it, it leads nowhere," Mikaela spoke up and Sam saw her staring intently at him as if reading his thoughts. He gave a small shrug in reply and she glared at him, which he interrupted by flicking on the light switch. "Shit Sam, that's bright."

"You're telling me, chica," Leo groaned.

" _Anyways,_ " She continued as she sat up properly, slightly hunched over because of how small the gap was between the beds, and Sam pulled the small chair out of the corner and sat down facing them. "The guilt will always be there, but blaming yourself for everything doesn't help."

"But--" Leo started before Mikaela interrupted him.

"I blamed myself for Megatron escaping because my damn phone had been replaced by a Decepticon." Sam knew the guilt she felt intimately after having had to help her cope with the thoughts. "Sam still blames himself for all of this starting because he had placed his grandfather's glasses on ebay. We both feel guilty for the deaths in Mission City just because we were present. But you know what? _We_ weren't the only ones involved and we can't take other people's fuck-ups on our shoulders. We all have enough shit to deal with. The Decepticons pulled the triggers, not us, and Sam was involved long before he was born because of his grandfather. None of us could've known little everyday things like picking up your phone could lead up to all of this."

"But--"

"It's _not_ our fault," Mikaela sobbed and Sam reached forward and pulled her into a hug, allowing her to slip off the mattress and into his lap. She shifted to rest her head on his chest with her legs to the side and arms tucked close to her body as she curled against him. "Sorry." Sam shushed her and kissed her forehead before he rested his chin lightly on top of her head as he hugged her the best he could with his injuries and current position. Leo remained quiet for a moment before he huffed a small laugh to break the tense atmosphere.

"Hey, hey, watch the PDA. I mean, unless you want me to join? No offense, Sam, but it would solely be for the senorita."

"In your dreams," Mikaela said mockingly and Leo wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I certainly hope so, it'll definitely be a step up."

"Leo, stop flirting with my girlfriend in front of me," Sam whined, although he wasn't bothered by it and they both knew it. He knew that Leo was not Mikaela's type and he also knew that Leo wouldn't go behind someone's back like that. Despite only knowing his roommate for a little over a week they had been through hell together and Sam trusted his instincts on the other boy's character. "And don't ask to watch like you did with Alice."

"You mean the ox-tongue Lust-bot? Yeah, that wasn't my best moment. You did just completely wreck my game. I almost had her." Leo paused thoughtfully. "Thanks for that."

"Glad I saved you from that fate, it wasn't fun," Sam muttered and Mikaela snickered. "Yeah, yeah, you can laugh now that you aren't trying to kill me for it."

"Figured the universe did that for me."

"True."

They descended into a comfortable silence and Sam was about to ask Mikaela if she wanted to attempt to get them both laying down in the bed when she spoke again.

"Sam, why is your chest humming?" It felt like his heart skipped a beat when he heard those words and Sam felt his breath catch before he forced himself to relax. He had known something was wrong from the burning pain that he had become so accustomed to that it was already merely a background nuisance. Their forced isolation below deck from the presence of media choppers and the Autobots themselves having to remain in their alt modes had prevented him from speaking to Ratchet. He had been able to pass on the x-rays to Optimus for safekeeping and to pass on to the Autobot medic, but he had been unable to interact with them further. Although the military had escorted away the media all precautions were being taken and no civilians were allowed to go above deck until they arrived in Diego Garcia, especially the civilians that were still labeled on the most-wanted list. "Sam? Whatever it is, it just changed for a moment." So that meant it was possibly connected to his heart, whatever it was.

"So I think my resurrection might have come at a cost," Sam started and Mikaela leaned back to look at him in concern while Leo adopted an alarmed look.

"What do you mean, a cost? The medics were able to bring you back, right?" Sam was surprised for a moment at Leo's question before he remembered the other boy had been busy with Simmons and Devastator at the time. "Sam?"

"When I was hit by Megatron's blast, there was a lot of damage done," Sam said quietly, absently starting to thread Mikaela's hair through his fingers as he thought about the incident. It had been terrifying as he felt the heat and burning impact of the plasma blast and flew through the air, liquid fire splattered on his skin, and then the jarring and intense pain as he landed and his bones snapped. Organs pierced and failing, the fade to black had felt so slow but Sam knew it had been less than a second before his heart stopped beating and he found himself in that strange desert plateau with the Primes surrounding him. "Too much damage for humans to heal, especially on a battlefield."

"What do you mean, 'humans'?" Mikaela asked and she leaned back to look at his face. "... This is why the Matrix repaired itself. Something else interfered, didn't it? Was it that Primus-guy that Optimus told us about?" At the mention of Primus, something flickered in Sam's mind and although he knew that only the original Primes had been present and not the creator of the Cybertronian race, Sam had the gut feeling that Primus actually had been involved. The small part of his mind that he dubbed the sentience of the Allspark seemed to hum in confirmation at this thought. "Was it?"

"I woke up on this strange desert plateau," Sam said as he stared past them and at the wall of the room. He was trying to stay as calm as he's managed throughout the past couple days, but he felt like his grip on that facade was fading fast as the reality of the situation was hitting him. So he settled for trying to say as much as possible before a panic attack hit him. "It was weird, like the background kinda reminded me of that static from a broken TV at times and at other times I was seeing bits of pieces of memories that weren't mine. Kinda like the visions from the Allspark. And when I spoke there was an echo that made it seem like the place had no end and I was all alone and I was dead and I was kind of worried that because of everything that's happened and all I've done and caused that that was what my afterlife was going to be. Stuck alone and isolated and everything just as weird and freaky as my life had become and..."

"Sam, hey, calm down Sam, it's okay," Mikaela crooned as she placed her hands on the sides of his face and forced him to look at her, "That will never happen even if it means I have to fight whatever bullshit the universe wants to throw at me. You do not deserve any punishment for _anything_. Do you understand me? I will not let that happen."

"We," Leo piped up and Sam looked up to meet determined brown eyes. Leo was hanging out of his bunk in a comical way, but the fierce determination on his face made the situation more serious than his awkward pose suggested. "Don't think you and your girlfriend get to leave me behind to deal with this crap and be stuck with that asshole Simmons. Oh no, I'll come help the chica and we'll drag you back to the living ourselves."

"Pretty sure that's not how it works," Sam said with a chuckle and a wry smile. "But thanks."

"Anytime, Bro, now finish telling us what freaky stuff we got going on now." Leo shifted back onto the bunk properly and laid on his side with his head propped on his arm as he settled in for the conversation.

"Anyways, these giant metal figures showed up and spoke about how they were the original Primes. I know Jetfire said some of this stuff, but this is what I know now about all of this." Sam knew some of this he had never actually been told, but he knew it was fact. "Apparently, the Fallen had been one of them and had betrayed their laws in his determination to destroy our planet. I guess they were never supposed to destroy the star of a system that contained sentient life - like humans. I don't think we're the first sentient planet he tried this with and I get the feeling he had gotten away with tricking them before, but for some reason he was caught here. He had made a fake matrix to power the sun harvester he built here in secret and it backfired on him and somehow he gained powers that none of the other primes had. Whatever he had used to power the faketrix was corrupt and powerful in its own right and he absorbed it. It's why the other primes couldn't defeat him. But as an original Prime, he could only be killed by another Prime and that's why the Fallen made sure that Optimus died."

"But I thought Megatron was the one who killed him?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, but I think it was on the Fallen's order. I think a lot of stuff was on that guy's orders."

"What do you mean?" Mikaela asked as she slid off his lap and stretched before she returned to sitting on the bottom bunk. Sam took advantage of the move and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees while he looked down as his hands and absentmindedly played with a frayed piece of his cast.

"I don't really know right now, if I'm honest," He muttered. It was just a gut feeling, but those feelings were happening more and more and were so far correct. "Anyways, you already knew most of what I just said. What I was getting at is that the Primes needed Optimus alive to destroy their brother and so they needed me alive to do so. They had said something about how the matrix had to be earned and that in giving up my life to save one of theirs I was deemed worthy of the fate I was destined for. Apparently, my fate has always been intertwined with Optimus's for thousands of years because they had hidden themselves away with the matrix to wait for my arrival." Sam looked at them and saw the shock as the realization that destiny and fate were actually real was forming in their minds. "Crazy, right? But they healed me and the matrix, which is actually called the Matrix of Leadership, reformed and started glowing and I stabbed it in Optimus's chest and brought him back. You know that part. What you don't know is what my x-rays looked like after. There were so many bones that had been healed and were denser and stronger than the ones around them. And for some reason my left arm won't show up at all. And my veins feel like they're on fire. And--"

"You think when they healed you that they changed something in you," Mikaela stated instead of questioned, but Sam nodded anyways.

"I don't think they know much about human biology and instead used what they could figure out. It's why bones were able to be healed easier than flesh wounds, although they had to have healed some of my organs because I'm pretty sure my ribs stabbed something when I landed..."

"So, what? Are you going to suddenly turn into a motorcycle or something? Because as bad-ass as that would be, some warning would be nice." Leo's attempt at humor helped alleviate some of the tension and Sam and Mikaela both laughed at the absurd image of Sam poofing into a motorcycle right then, fairy godmother style.

"No," Sam replied and leaned back into the chair. "But I think whatever they did is still happening and it just might lead to something like that. Or I could just die again for good now that Optimus is back. Who knows?" He shrugged and they all descended into a thoughtful silence. The exhaustion was starting to creep up on them now.

"You better speak with Ratchet as soon as we reach port," Mikaela threatened and Sam raised his arms slightly in surrender.

"Hey, hey, hey, that was the plan before we got stuck down here, don't get mad." Nodding her head in acceptance, she moved to lay back down on the bed, scooting as close as she could to the wall so Sam could attempt to lay on the bunk with her. At the unspoken invitation Sam stood and replaced the chair before getting into the bed. It was a tight fit, especially since he gained about five inches in height, but he was able to lay facing her and placed his arm over her.

"Which one is Ratchet?" Leo asked.

"The yellow doc-bot that fixed up my leg after Optimus died."

"Ooh, good luck, man, he seems strict." They fell into silence again and the exhaustion of the past two days was finally catching up to Sam and attempting to drag him under when Leo spoke again. "So what was said in here, stays in here?"

"Other than Sam needing to tell Ratchet about his health stuff, yeah. Our business is our own," Mikaela reassured the Latino boy and Sam smiled. That had always been their policy, so it wasn't hard to extend it to one more person.

"Good." Leo paused before speaking again, "Thanks."

"Like I said Leo, anytime."

* * *

The next day they arrived in Diego Garcia and, as promised, they behaved as usual among others with the exception of the arguments over their temporary living arrangements until they would be able to return to the mainland and resume their normal lives. Sam knew their lives were never going to be normal, but he wasn't going to spend hours arguing about that while he was still exhausted. The sleep had been uninterrupted by nightmares, thankfully, but it had still not been enough to make up for what he had been missing. Their sleeping arrangements was an argument worth having, however.

"Listen, you might not understand but we've been through hell together, so we stick together," Sam argued with the soldier that was trying to direct Mikaela to the female military barracks and Leo to a barrack with Simmons while Sam would be given his own room near the Autobot barracks per Ratchet's insistence. The soldier straightened in an attempt to tower over Sam, but he took full advantage of his new height to stand straight and reverse the attempted intimidation. "No, we literally cannot sleep without the others near. We just spent days being chased by Decepticons and humans both with only each other for company. I freaking _died_ in her arms. This is his first experience with the Decepticons and I'm the only one he's familiar with other than the man you want to bunk him with. A man who has tased him multiple times and is a bit too crazy to handle the emotional shit because aliens have been in his life since the beginning."

"Do as he says, Binns, I'll deal with the higher-ups," Will ordered as he strode up to them and the soldier saluted the Major. "Make sure there's enough cots in Sam's room. It's the biggest and I'm not dealing with Ratchet if we move him elsewhere. Dismissed." He turned to the three teenagers as the soldier hurried off and gave them a tired grin. "Already giving my people difficulty, kid?"

"It's my job, you know that," Sam replied sarcastically with a wry grin of his own. "And I'm not a kid."

"Yeah, yeah, you're as tall as me now. Man, we have to show Epps. He's going to be so mad." Will snickered and Sam felt the small amount of tension still in his form drain out at the other man's good humor. "Anyways, Ratchet does want to see you. Only you." He gave Sam a stern look to deter any arguments and Sam slouched in resignation as the soldier turned to the other two, "You two can go get something to eat and try to help Mr and Mrs Witwicky settle in. It's looking like it'll be at least a couple weeks until we can manage to get everything settled on the mainland, so we'll get y'all some clothes and other essentials. Leo, we'll be issuing you a laptop to be able to work on your classes online once we finish making the arrangements. That should be done by tomorrow. Questions?"

"Why does Sam need to go alone?" Mikaela asked stubbornly.

"Autobot business."

"Why does Sam get to know then?"

"Classified."

"That--" Mikaela started arguing in earnest as Leo leaned over to speak to Sam quietly.

"Dude, is she always like this?" Sam snorted at Leo's question and grinned.

"You have no idea." They watched the argument unfold for a few more seconds before Mikaela finally gave in and grabbed Leo's arm with a huff. She kissed Sam on the cheek and grumbled a goodbye before she started dragging the other boy behind her in the direction of the cafeteria. "Love you!" Sam shouted with a grin as he tried to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, yeah, love you too," Mikaela said with a dismissive wave and her eyes still trained ahead of her.

"Sam, save me!" Leo whined and Sam just waved at the boy before he turned to look at the amused Major beside him.

"I should unleash her on Galloway," Will stated with admiration as he looked after the young female dragging the other boy behind her.

"Isn't that the douchebag you pushed out of the plane?" Sam asked as they turned to head toward the Autobot section of the base. The bots were allowed free roam on the island but it had been decided for them to be able to have a section dedicated to where they wouldn't have to worry so much about all the humans underfoot. And as an alien species they had their own culture and secrets and the soldiers of N.E.S.T. tried to respect that.

"I didn't push anyone, that was clearly him not understanding my directions," Will argued and they shared a knowing grin. "Anyways, yeah, thats him. Luckily he was flown back to the states straight from Egypt so we hopefully won't have to deal with him anymore. POTUS countermanded his demands for my demotion at least, so that's a step in a good direction." Will stopped outside the small barrier that was only there to mark the boundary for humans as the bots could easily step over the small concrete wall. "Now, I don't know if you know this but we have our families here on base, so I expect y'all to make it for dinner in the next few days." He handed Sam a small box that he pulled out of one of his many back pockets. "Here's a phone with the main numbers you need programmed in. Calls only, no texts, and only for a minute at most. The Autobots helped create an automatic jammer but it only lasts for a minute at most using our technology. We have a 'con hopping the satellites up there according to the 'bots."

"Soundwave?" Sam said the first designation that popped into his head and Will turned a sharp, surprised look on him.

"Yeah, I think that's the name they used. How'd you know?"

"Uh, Allspark?" Sam was pretty sure Will had already been debriefed about that by his medic. "Sometimes info just kinda pops into my head."

"Shit, forgot about that, make sure you tell Ratchet," he paused as he spoke to the soldier at the gate and the other soldier hurried to input the code to let them in. "Anyways, I can't come because like I said, Autobot business, but call me later and I'll arrange a time for you to come over. Sarah has been asking about you ever since the bounty went up and Annabelle hasn't seen you in so long she might not even recognize you anymore, so you better come or it'll be my head."

"We'll be there, I promise," Sam reassured the man as a golf cart pulled up and Will got in. With a wave the older man departed and Sam turned to see the gate was open next to him and he hurried in to avoid getting the gate guard in trouble for leaving it open for too long. It wasn't long before the roar of a powerful engine approaching caught Sam's attention and he smiled at the familiar form of Bumblebee approaching in his alt mode. The yellow camaro swerved to a stop in front of him, passenger door swinging open in invitation, and Sam hobbled his way in. The activity of the day was already catching up to him and he was desperately missing his pain medication, but Ratchet's orders that had been given to him this morning had demanded he avoid consuming anything other than clear liquids until after he was examined. He waved away the worry Bee was sending his way and patted the dash in reassurance as they started driving over to a large, central hangar.

"I'm guessing everyone is already in there?" Sam asked but he already knew the answer. This close to his alien friends his ability to sense their sparks kicked in automatically and he could sense all of the Autobots gathered inside the hangar. Bee warbled an agreement and Sam nodded and took a deep breath to settle his nerves as they pulled inside and were faced with the intimidating sight of the Autobots gathered around in a semicircle speaking in Cyber. Bee didn't seem apprehensive at all and Sam silently scolded himself for his human tendencies before he climbed out of the camaro and the yellow bot resumed his bipedal form with a loud whirring of gears.

**"Optimus, we will only go for that course of action if Sam is healthy enough for it. I admit, I do not think it possible, but that boy likes to exceed expectations,"** Ratchet was saying to Optimus as Sam strode forward. The Autobot medic turned his attention to the small human as soon as he stopped in front of him and Sam felt the pins and needles feeling of Ratchet's med-grade scan. **"Frag."**

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Sam muttered before shouting as he was suddenly snatched into the air by the medic and whirled around to be placed on a large berth. At the new height he was able to see that he was in the medbay, which housed large medical machines that looked to have used old parts from whatever would work. Giant slabs of metal and concrete made up several berths and a large metal desk was in a corner with what looked to be a shipping container as the chair. Sam winced as he rubbed at his ribs from the rough handling and he glared at the medic, ignoring the sniggers he could hear coming from Sideswipe as Jolt tried to hush the other. "So, what's up doc?"

"Don't you dare say anything about rabbits, Ironhide, or I'll weld your cannons shut, you've been spending too much time around Lennox," Ratchet warned as he unsubspaced a wrench and held it up menacingly. The black mech huffed and moved to stand next to Optimus, drawing the other into a silent conversation over the comms. Sam only knew this because he was aware of how Optimus's audial antennae twitched when sending and receiving comms. "Well, Samuel, what is up is that whatever brought you back definitely did not know the human anatomy well and your organs are no longer fully organic."

"Oh, well yeah, I figured that. They were a bit more insistent on me waking up to get the Matrix to Optimus," Sam said as he resigned himself to another conversation about his health. The no longer organic part was surprising more for the fact that he had guessed right than for the fact that it was something that was happening to him. "I mean, I knew some of the bones weren't really normal anymore and with how they didn't really do much for the flesh wounds they had to have fucked up with the organs that my ribs stabbed. That really freaking hurt by the way."

"What do you mean 'they'? Do you know how you were revived?" Ratchet asked and Sam lurched back as the medic surged forward and he only just barely managed to keep his balance and avoid stumbling off the edge of the berth. That height would be fatal and he didn't want to die again so soon.

"You don't? I thought at least Optimus would know..." Sam trailed off and looked in the Prime's direction and burning blue optics met his. He could sense the curiosity in the gaze and his shoulder slumped. Of course he had to try to explain this when he barely knew what was going on himself. "Well, of course they would leave me to explain. Them and their cryptic bullshit..." As he grumbled he walked to the edge of the berth and plopped down to where he was sitting with his feet dangling over the edge. "So, they called themselves the original Primes..." He proceeded to explain the same things he had told Mikaela and Leo the night previous and also explaining Jetfire's role in all of it after Sideswipe had asked where the crotchety seeker had come from.

"The Primes spoke to you? And they deemed you worthy of the Matrix?" Optimus asked and Sam looked at him. The slight hint of desperation and loneliness exuding from the other had not been missed by Sam.

"Yeah, it's how I was able to revive you. That and the Allspark seems to have decided to have a more prominent role in my existence. I could sense your spark hovering near the Well when I used the Matrix and I was able to draw it forward. It felt really weird, but it worked. Only a Prime could kill the Fallen, so I had to make sure it worked." Sam fell silent and worried he had said too much as he looked at the silent bots around him. He was just tired of hiding and at least with the Autobots he could get it figured out as to what exactly the alien artifact had started changing in him all those years ago.

"Just who was this Fallen?" Ironhide asked and Sam opened his mouth to respond when a vision popped into his mind. It was with more force and will behind it than any minor images that had passed through his thoughts and Sam felt himself lose awareness of his surroundings as he fell into the vision completely.

_"Optimus, we shouldn't be wasting time investigating this alien artifact. We have reports of a Driller sighting in the rust-wastes and I need to get Shockwave over there to investigate," Megatron scolded the Prime he was following, but he did not have much force behind his words. He knew how much his brother wanted to have a small connection with his original function of a researcher and archivist. Megatron was more than eager to leave behind his days as a slave in the mines and then the gladiatorial arena from before Alpha Trion had taken him in, but he could not forsake his brother the more pleasant memories. Ever since he had been declared a Prime and they had taken the joint mantle of leadership any escape from duty was welcomed. At least his brother had bothered to inform him about his intended trip._

_"Megatron, you know we don't know if this alien artifact is a threat or not," Optimus said as he stepped around a large crevice from where the impact of the foreign ship had destroyed the landscape. And as it came into view it was clear that the artifact was in fact a strange ship that exuded a dark energy that pulsed a deep purple before the energy disappeared as they approached cautiously. "Plus, this is more exciting than the courting gifts that keep showing up in the council room."_

_"Hehe, I dunno Prime, that codpiece cover made from a retro-rat carcass was pretty entertaining," Jazz snickered and Megatron groaned as he was reminded of the strange gift. It would have been less interesting if the retro-rat hadn't still been somehow alive and reprogrammed to climb onto and cover a mech's codpiece as an ugly accessory. The holo-vids of him ripping the damn thing apart after it had climbed on him had taken him nearly a deca-cycle to track down and destroy. Megatron was sure the criminal-turned-enforcer had something to do with it, but the silver mini-bot always had an alibi ready._

_"Heh, I think the spiked energon was more entertaining. Especially after that one council member drank it and tried to interface with Optimus right then and there. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to shoot that aft in the aft," Ironhide spoke up and it was Optimus's turn to moan in misery at the memory._

_"Query: Ship stasis-locked?" Soundwave spoke from beside him and Megatron turned his focus to the telepath briefly before he turned to the ship. Placing a hand on Optimus's shoulder, Megatron silently commanded his brother back as he stepped into his duties of Protector and walked forward. The Protector programming that had been installed was demanding that danger was ahead and that the Prime and his people needed to be kept safe. Cautiously, he crept forward and hesitated briefly a few meters away from the stationary ship before he sent an inquiring ping towards the object on the most broadly-accepted frequency. It took a few more pings on different channels before a positively ancient channel was recognized and Megatron's interest was piqued. A comm frequency opened on his private channel and the static infesting the comm was enough to induce an aching processor. He recognized the language of the primes, but he had no more fluency in it than recognizing names. He did recognize what was being said after a few repetitions and he vented harshly at the realization._

_::I am Megatronus.:: That sentence was all Megatron could make out and he felt his fuel pump halt for a moment as his systems froze in surprise. The original Prime whose namesake he had adopted was inside the ship in front of him. A harsh wave of energy slipped from the ship and blended seamlessly with his resetting systems and he would've remained unaware of the transference if Soundwave didn't sent him a databurst of his observations. Megatron focused inward on his firewalls but the powerful virus that had been transferred was already latching onto his Protector programming and corrupting it before it attached to the shattered remains of his slave coding, piecing it back together, and his fate was locked. He could already feel the one-way Master-Slave bond settling into a place he had thought permanently torn from his spark._

_"Megatron?" Prowl asked from his place at Optimus's side and the monotone voice was enough to jolt Megatron into speaking. The interest of his Master peaked as his processor was forced to bring up the files regarding the logical enforcer and he knew that Prowl was doomed to share his fate soon. The virus would probably break his systems and a total reprogramming would be necessary. Maybe when that happened he would have enough control to force a system backup and give it to Jazz, but Megatron doubted it._

_"It's nothing, the presence within has offlined recently. I will dispose of it," Megatron growled the commanded words and he felt the presence of Soundwave within his mind. He ordered his subordinate to follow instructions and the other acquiesced reluctantly. Megatron made a note to ensure he would be followed with no hesitation in the future and he felt like he needed to purge his systems as he realized the utter control his new Master had over his very thoughts. The urge grew stronger as he realized he was now going to be infecting those who trusted him explicitly with viral slave-coding._

_"Brother--" The presence felt utter loathing and then glee as it felt the presence of another Prime and then realized the connection his new slave held._

_"Enough Prime, there are duties we must attend to back in Iacon, I will arrange for the ship to be disposed of before whatever killed the owner infects others." The jolt Optimus gave at his words made Megatron's spark lurch in despair before he crushed the brother-bond he shared with Optimus closed before his Master could realize it. Prime stumbled at the nearly severed bond, but Megatron was already ordering Soundwave to follow and forced his systems to keep moving despite the utter despair he was feeling. He was trapped._

_He would keep his new Master close and secret, as ordered, but he would escape eventually. He hoped._

"Sam!" Sam jolted into awareness with a gasp and he shrieked as he felt himself freefalling before a large servo caught him and he was pulled up to rest against Optimus's spark chamber and he relaxed at the presence of the familiar spark beside him. "Are you alright Sam?"

"I really wish the damn Allspark had a better way of answering questions than shoving memories into my head," Sam groaned as he rubbed at his aching temple and he blinked up at the ceiling he could see peeking through the fingers of the Prime before he patted the servo holding him consolingly. "Yeah, I'm fine, might as well explain what I just saw because... wait..." The realization of what he had just seen and what it meant had finally settled into his mind and he panicked. "What the fuck?! Seriously?! A freaking virus?! Are you kidding me?!" He was placed down on the berth again and he started pacing as soon as a surface was beneath him, mumbling obscenities at just what his life had devolved into.

"Virus? Samuel, you need to tell us what is going on," Ratchet said and Sam huffed before he glared up at the medic. He wasn't mad at the bot but the circumstances that lead to the question.

"The Fallen, whose name was Megatronus by the way, infected Megatron with a freaking virus and caused this whole freaking war!" Sam ranted and he shuddered as he felt the energy of the Allspark welling up within him in response to his agitation. Its children, their children, were all destroyed because of the whims of a corrupt Prime. The entire Cybertronian race was verging on extinction because of one individual.

"What are you speaking about, Sam? Megatron never met the Fallen before he declared war," Optimus said and the confusion and hope exuding from him caused Sam to pause in his rant. The energy roiling through his veins stuttered and remained at the level it had reached, burning and itching just beneath his skin.

"Remember that alien artifact? Yeah, that was Megatronus's ship and prison. That's the memory the Allspark gave me. The last memory of Cybertron it had managed to draw from Megatron when I killed him in Mission City and his spark went through me and into the Well. The virus latched onto Megatron's slave coding and Protector programming. He had no way of fighting. And through him the virus was able to be spread." The silence that met his words was deafening in the hangar and Sam swallowed through his suddenly dry throat. The bots all looked and felt lost.

"Primus, so all the Decepticons I _enjoyed_ tearing apart were innocents? Victims of a level-13 programming virus?" Sideswipe demanded the answers of Sam and he shook his head in denial of his own words. "They were _innocent_?"

"No one had any way of knowing until now. I don't know how your systems work, but from what I can tell Prime coding is different than normal so it could've remained undetected even in deep processor-scans. Plus, I think the virus was tied into the Fallen's spark because when Megatron was running I could see the Master-Slave bond fracturing from him _and_ Starscream." The tension in the room was causing his heart rate to accelerate and the Allspark energy within him resumed its climb to energy levels that made him feel like his body was starting to disintegrate from the inside.

"You could see the bond?" Ratchet asked and Sam nodded, unable to speak as he tried to focus on quelling the energy within him. Ratchet paused in his attempt to ask another question and Sam felt another scan run over him. "Slagging Allspark! Prime, go get Jazz. We'll have to test your theory now because if he doesn't expend this energy soon it's going to overwhelm him." At this point Sam was hunched over with his eyes trained on the metal surface beneath him. "Sam, when you sense the bond I'm assuming you sense sparks as well? It's not an unheard of ability among our people." Sam nodded and he heard Ratchet vent a sigh of relief. "Good, that will make this easier."

"Wha--?" Sam tried to ask what was happening, but the medic shushed him before he heard the tinkling of glass and the sloshing of liquid nearby. The large footfalls of Optimus approached and Sam abruptly felt himself lifted into the unfamiliar blue servos of Jolt as Jazz's body was placed on the berth Sam had just been standing on. "Jazz...?" Sam whispered the name of the bot he had only known briefly and he felt something flutter on the edge of his senses. He turned his head quickly but whatever it was seemed to continuously flicker at the corner of his eye no matter how much he turned. His vision slipped in and out of focus on his surroundings before the energy flutter echoed in the empty spark chamber of the silver bot in front of him. The frequency was weak and barely an imprint in the chamber, but the pulse from beyond the Well had been enough to allow Sam to gain familiarity with the spark he knew he would soon be searching for.

"Jolt, hand me Samuel," Optimus rumbled and Sam felt like a broken marionette as he was passed over and his limp form curled into the large servo of Optimus Prime. "Sam?" Sam looked up at burning blue optics with fever glazed eyes. "Sam, I need you to help us bring our comrade and friend back. I'm going to use the Matrix as a conduit and to help with the activation energy. I need you to reach through the Well of Sparks and bring his spark back like you did with mine."

"It won't be that easy, our fates aren't intertwined. There will be a cost," Sam was unsure of what he was saying and where the words and knowledge were coming from. It felt like someone was speaking through him. The meaning of the words he spoke took a moment to register in his mind before he forced himself to speak and not whoever was using him as their puppet. He would pull his own strings, fate and consequences be damned. The presence filled him with a sense of pride and acceptance as Sam uttered his words. "Fuck it, it'll be worth it." And with that Sam focused inward and he reached with his senses to get to that state that allowed him to sense the sparks of those around him. Then he focused further inward and he was able to suddenly see the slight connection the offlined bot in front of him still had with the Well of Sparks.

It felt like his soul was slightly disconnected from his body and he entered another plane of existence as he connected to the Well. The Well of Sparks reminded Sam of a black hole in its vastness and the sparks swirling within its depths made him think of the stars scattered across the cosmos. It was beautiful and yet filled Sam with overwhelming despair as he realized the thousands of sparks that still lingered, unwilling to fully sink into the depths of the Well because they knew it was not yet their time. Sam could vaguely sense the connections some still had to their physical forms but the others were just drifting with the stubborn defiance of death despite no physical forms to return to. He reached out with the Allspark energy within him and brushed across the vast presence of the Well and sparks all swirled to a halt before they converged on the point he touched as the Well started swirling and the reincarnation cycle was reset. Those with physical forms that could be revived that way drifted with the currents of the swirling energy and remained on the outskirts, but time was now passing in the Well. If they were not connected with their bodies in time they would either rest eternally or be reincarnated. The Allspark whispered this knowledge into his mind and Sam felt his mother's stubbornness take hold. He was going to save them, but first he had to save one.

A bright, golden spark zoomed in front of his floating presence and came to a halt in front of him, the frequency recognizable as the spark that had reached out and touched Jazz's remains through the Well. Sam grinned before he gestured for the spark to follow him and he guided the bright light back into the world. Instead of traveling through him, the spark seemed to travel alongside him and the intimate connection he had shared with Optimus was absent, which was something Sam was oddly grateful for. Sam opened his eyes, unaware they were glowing a bright white, and placed a hand on the Matrix as it emerged from where it was resting against Optimus's spark before Optimus and him moved forward as one and placed the Matrix against Jazz's empty spark chamber. The spark that had traveled back with Sam detached from his presence and hovered above the chamber before an energy surge from the Matrix channeled it down into the spark core and it ignited with a small light. It was too weak, however, and Sam frowned as the bright gold started to dim as energy leaked out.

"Frag, Jolt there's a leak in the core. You'll have to shock the nanites into activation. I won't have time to weld before his spark gutters out again, so his systems have to take care of it,' Ratchet said and Sam felt Jolt come closer. Sam could not focus on his physical surroundings, instead his world view consisted of blurry colors and the sparks of the Autobots as well as the view of the silver bot in front of him and the Matrix his hand still rested against. Optimus's servo rested behind Sam to prevent him from falling should he lose his balance, the Matrix not needing to maintain physical contact with him as Optimus was able to use a magnetic field to manipulate the artifact.

"But, Sam," Jolt protested weakly even as sparks started gathered around his wrists.

"Agreed to the risk, we'll deal with the fallout. I have no doubt he'll survive," Ratchet urged. "Quickly."

"Ratchet," Optimus started to say and Sam's concentration started to waver as he automatically started focusing on the presence of his other.

"Enough Prime, he will be fine, I promise. I can't guarantee the same for Jazz if he spark dies again. Now, Jolt!" Bright blue energy surged beside him and wrapped around the core in front of him and Sam screamed at the pain of thousands of volts of electricity surging through him from the contact the Matrix still held with the chamber. His veins burned stronger than any pain he had felt previously. He could barely focus on the golden spark growing stronger before the energy seemed to all coalesce on his heart. "Enough!" Darkness was already starting to overwhelm him as he felt the needle Ratchet stabbed into his arm sometime during the energy transfer pump medicine and a sedative into his system before Sam finally gave in and embraced the darkness and oblivion that his damaged form was desperate to claim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed! Comments and kudos would be greatly appreciated, but just knowing some people have been reading this and enjoying it helps as I know this fandom (for the movies at least) has died quite a bit since the last time I was writing stories.
> 
> Quick question for anyone who wants to give some input: who should Leo be paired with? Or should there be no pairing at all for him? While I know he was more a comedic relief for the movie, I actually really enjoy the dynamic I have between him, Sam, and Mikaela and I don't just want him as a background character.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Lovelies! I know I said I was going to wait to post this update, but I honestly couldn't find anything I wanted to change with this part. Originally I was going to have another scene just to have the word count a little longer, but I felt that I had reached a good stopping point. That scene (which is already written as well as a couple others) will just be part of the next chapter. Trying to tack it on with this one just didn't flow right (to sound cliché). There will be a delay by about a week or so in the next post however. My mom is coming by the house next week and I will be busy with her visit. Finding time to write is always hard for me and this visit doesn't help. I mostly write on Thursdays as that's one of the few times I don't babysit (although that's apparently changing) and I also stay up all night to get myself back into the sleep cycle for my overnight shift on Fridays so I usually have time to write, but I am trying to work on writing more on the other days. Just, not next week. So updates on this story at least will wait for about two weeks. I do have stuff written for other stories that I haven't posted or was in the mood to write and didn't post because I didn't want to feel obligated to update frequently. One of the reasons I usually write one-shots. So I might post something that's not an update for this. We'll see.

**Chapter 3**

Shadows lingered on the edge of his vision, twisting and turning and forming meaningless shapes that made his breath stop. The small amount of his environment that he could see consisted of a gray spectrum of light that filtered the dirt of the cratered ground into a confusing blend with the white, static-ridden skyline. No matter how much he walked the sights never changed and Sam wasn't sure that he was even walking anywhere. Fed up with the aimless wandering he still wasn't sure he had been doing since he appeared in this shadowy realm, Sam forced his legs to stop and instead sat down with his legs criss-crossed and started to wait. The shadows grew more prominent and he ignored the urge to whip his head around to see them and instead let them move and grow more definition. Every time he tried to physically turn his head and look to get a clearer image the shadows would skitter away, so he was trying a different tactic.

When the first shadow on his right stopped shifting and instead settled into a solid form, Sam felt his breath catch as he realized what it actually was. He turned slowly to face the form so as to not cause the other shadows to disappear, and felt a ball of despair settle in the pit of his stomach. Torn sheets of dark, gray metal cast a ghastly silhouette against the skyline from where they had been wrenched upward from the impact the ship had made with the ground. The damage to the hull was extensive and Sam could see more shadows forming into the solid silhouettes of metal corpses inside the breach. A groan of metal startled him from his observations and Sam swirled around to face the noise only to let out a weak gasp-like whine as he was face with the tallest Cybertronian that could possibly exist.

 **"While that is a nice thought, young Samuel, I'm pretty sure my brother has me beat by a meter. It's the spikes,"** The tall form rumbled out in a deep, ancient voice that made Sam shudder to be in its very presence. Sam struggled to swallow the lump in his throat before licking his lips as he attempted to speak, only to flinch as the other shifted. He didn't intend to be afraid and the other's presence was rather calming, but the size difference caused an instinctual terror of the stranger. **"Understood. One moment, young Samuel."** At those words the armor of the transformer broke apart in tiny fragments and then started to shrink in on itself. Some of the metal had to have been subspaced because there was no way that it all managed to condense into the 40 foot figure that was a height Sam was more comfortable with. **"Better?"**

"Y-yeah," Sam managed to mutter before he braced himself as the Cybertronian placed his servo in front of him and waited patiently for Sam to clamber on, which he did after a moment's hesitation. "So, who are you?" Wincing at his tactlessness, Sam was rather surprised at the deep chuckle that rumbled from the figure.

 **"I am Primus, young Samuel,"** Primus stated as he lifted Sam closer to his faceplates, bright white optics gleaming out of dark gray metal. Segmented strips of metal cascaded down the jaw in an imitation of a beard that reached the upper edge of chestplates that were scarred from what had to be many battles. All of the scars seemed to have been caused by the same claws and weapons, which was strange as Sam knew that there were thousands of years difference in the age of some of the scars. He wasn't quite sure how he knew. **"How observant, but that is the influence of the Allspark, such a cheeky creation..."**

"I--w-what?!" Sam sputtered as he struggled with the concept that the Cybertronian god was in front of him and literally held Sam in his servos.

 **"This is not the first, or even the second, time I have held you in my servos, although the physical shell around your spark, or soul as you humans call it, is new,"** Primus rumbled in response to Sam's unspoken thoughts. **"And I fear with your luck that this will not be the last time, although you are not bound for my realm just yet. There is too much to be done and you are the key."**

"Wait, what are you talking about? What do you mean key?" Sam wasn't even going to bring up that Primus has apparently handled his soul multiple times, that was something he was going to have to process later. "And why me?"

 **"Why you? I had thought we made that apparent, your fate is not an insignificant one and every aspect should be fulfilled to make all happy. I think after my brother's meddling, happiness is rightly deserved for all. Alas, we do not have the time for dallying.** " Primus paused to gesture towards the wreckage of the ship. **"When you are at the hidden human base, you must find all connections mentioning this ship and destroy them. The humans mustn't have proof it exists or they will interfere with my plans. My wayward son is still addled by the virus and will not remember to do so. Then find the ARC and save those that can be saved. Time is running short."**

"Humans know about this? And they haven't scavenged it?" Sam had so many more questions he wanted to ask, but he tried to keep to the ones that seemed to matter the most. He could see the environment around them starting to lighten and even he could tell that time for this conversation was running out.

**"They've taken some, but their primitive shuttles struggle to reach their moon easily. Luckily--"**

"We're on the moon?!" Sam felt mortified at his outburst interrupting the god and he smacked his face with his hand in embarrassment.

 **"Yes, child, we are on the moon,"** Primus chuckled and ran a finger down Sam's back in an attempt to soothe him. **"Now, they did not take anything that mattered. The pillars have already been removed, with the exception of those hidden with Sentinel Prime. Beware that Prime, young Samuel, for he is corrupt of his own making. I fear Optimus will not believe this until it is too late and one of his greatest protectors pays the price. Alas, I cannot go into detail as I fear Fate will already meddle with your memories of this conversation and she will definitely do so if I provide too strong of a guide. Fate's path is not set in stone, but it must be up to the key players to adjust the course. Any interference from beings like myself result in her making the desired path harder to obtain. To help with avoiding her influence, you will not remember most of this until the turning point is upon you."**

"That's lovely," Sam muttered sarcastically, but he was certain Primus knew best. He was a god after all.

 **"Gods are not infallible, young one, nor are we invulnerable. Remember this and do not despair if my brother shows. I cannot see along the paths enough to know if he will."** The form of Primus flickered out of existence briefly and Sam shouted as he felt himself start to fall as the world flashed white. The breath was knocked out of him as Primus reappeared and he landed on an outstretched servo. **"Time is almost up. You are waking."**

 **"This you must remember. The price has already been paid for retrieving young Jazz and the change has begun. It is necessary. You must not fear it or reject it as it has always been your fate. It has merely been sped up. Happiness will be granted from this path and not just for you. This was the only toll unless you demand a spark that has passed too far. Or attempt to use your abilities in a way outside of your function. You are the Allspark now and not just the vessel, but still restrictions are in place, as they are for all of us."** He flickered again and Sam was nearly to the ground when he was plucked from the air by his ankle, and the sharp pain that accompanied the action made him groan. **"Do not bring another back until the change is finished or --"** The world flashed white completely and Sam shouted as he fell. The ground had disappeared as well and he continued to freefall before he jolted forward with a shout and opened his eyes to the bright white ceiling of the medbay.

"Sam!" Sam blinked in confusion at Mikaela's shout before her worried face filled his vision and she flung her arms the best she could around his neck in a hug. He cautiously hugged her back and tried to desperately remember what was going on. He felt like he was forgetting something important. Dark gray, static filled images passed before his eyes and a barely remembered conversation filtered through his memories. He was speaking to Primus? There was something there near them, some kind of large object, but every time Sam tried to remember what it had been the image slipped away as if was water. Elusive and hard to hold onto. The conversation was in fragments too. He could remember Primus speaking about handling Sam's soul before and he could somewhat remember mentions of a path of happiness and a change being necessary and that the toll was paid. There was also something about him being the Allspark and going too far and to not do something.That was all he could remember and he cursed Fate as he knew it was her influence. "Sam? Do you remember what happened?" Mikaela asked as she pulled back to get a better look at him. Her hands still lingered on his shoulders and Sam used the touch to ground himself in the present and not on the images running on repeat through his mind in an attempt to remember.

The events that had transpired that had resulted in him meeting Primus flashed in his mind and Sam groaned as he thought of the pain and then thought of how his parents were reacting. If Mikaela was here then surely some time had passed and his mom was on a warpath. He reluctantly pushed Mikaela's hands away and forced himself to sit up, but the effort was too much strain on his aching chest and weak limbs and he started to fall back only for a hard, warm surface to press itself against his back in support. The small connection sent a slight shock through his system, no more than static electricity, but it felt a lot better than the last literal shock his system received. Twisting his head to the side he saw Optimus and that it was his servo that Sam rested against and Sam gave him a small grin and a nod of gratitude. Optimus returned the nod and Sam felt a sense of relief from the Prime.

"Are you alright, Samuel?" Optimus asked and Sam nodded in affirmation this time. He went to clear his throat before speaking and winced at the immediate pain the attempted action caused. "There is some damage to your pharynx lining. Please do not attempt to speak. Here." Optimus reached with his free servo and opened a compartment in his arm to pull out a military laptop. Sam wondered why Optimus had it before he remembered that there were some strapped down in Optimus's alt-mode and he figured this was one of them. Mikaela grabbed the laptop and opened it for Sam before placing it on his lap. After it was on, a quick tap from Optimus's servo had them past the the password encryption and a word document screen was pulled up.

"Thanks," Sam typed awkwardly with one hand still being in a cast and Mikaela and Optimus both nodded, Mikaela sending a small smile his way. "Anyways, yeah I'm fine. Little bit of chest pain, but I'm guessing that shock triggered a heart attack? Did it work though? Is Jazz back?"

"...Just a little bit of chest pain," Mikaela mocked quietly before she huffed a small laugh. "Yes, you self-sacrificing idiot, your _major_ heart attack aside, Jazz is awake and still being checked over by Ratchet. It's been two days, by the way."

"Two days?! Then why is Jazz still being checked? Did something go wrong?" Sam was surprised at the length of time he had been unconscious as it had seemed much shorter when he was speaking to Primus, but he had been wandering that plane of existence for quite a while before he had actually met the god. "Did I mess up?"

"No, Samuel, you did not 'mess up.' Ratchet has been busy stabilizing you and had not been able to run a full diagnostic on Jazz before he managed to escape," Optimus said and Sam could feel the amusement of the Autobot leader underneath the annoyed tones. "It's been a busy day of meetings with N.E.S.T. to try to explain his resurrection after he decided to explore the base." Sam felt a small tremor of apprehension run up his spine at those words.

"Do they know about me?" He wasn't quite sure if he was ready for other humans to know about his new abilities, especially when he wasn't quite aware of the extent or even the meaning behind them just yet. The past two weeks had been so full of events and changes that he was getting overwhelmed. He was just ready to relax for a little bit.

"No, and they will not without your express permission. You are under our jurisdiction and protection, but you have your own freewill to make such a decision. Mikaela only knows because she is Ratchet's apprentice and because you had already informed her of most of it," Optimus rumbled reassuringly and Sam relaxed and let the words flow through his mind again as he realized their implication.

"What do you mean under your jurisdiction?" Optimus shuttered his optics in surprise and after a moment's hesitation he placed a finger on the laptop and with a small burst of energy a file was transferred and opened on the screen. With the new Allspark ability to absorb information, it only took Sam a few seconds to scroll through and read the lengthy document and another moment more for the meaning to process. Apparently, he had been placed under tentative Autobot jurisdiction in their initial treaties while they waited to see if the Allspark had any lingering effects (which had been mentioned in a note on the document by Ratchet. The data on these files was more than any other humans had ever received and Sam was grateful Optimus was not choosing to withhold information.). After the Autobots had realized that some side-effects were apparent as well as the Allspark energy that showed up in the deep scans that Ratchet had performed on him discreetly, the treaties had been modified after he reached adulthood to where he was fully placed under Autobot jurisdiction with dual citizenship among the Cybertronian race and the human race so as to allow him to continue living a normal life. Any attempts by the government to take or experiment on Sam without his knowledge or consent voided the treaties. And the consequences for voiding the treaties in such a way were rather severe in Cybertronian history if Sam recalled correctly. While usually a peaceful race, the Cybertronians were built to be able to adapt and win against whatever was thrown against them to protect those they cared for. It was why the civil war had been so devastating. The newest addition to the treaty dated from that morning also placed Mikaela, as Ratchet's apprentice, under conditional Cybertronian protection as well, although the consequences were not as extreme as they were with Sam. The change in the terms of the treaties from Autobot to Cybertronian was not missed by Sam and he was glad to see steps were being taken for when the virus was gone. "Thanks, I'll have to think about this before I discuss all that with you. I don't really know how to feel about it, although I know it's necessary."

"Understood, although if I had been aware of your ignorance in the matter, I would have rectified it sooner. I apologize." Sam waved away Optimus's apology. He could remember now John telling him something along these lines, but Sam had not had a real opportunity to discuss anything with Optimus ever since it had been mentioned. Patting the tip of a finger on the servo he leaned against reassuringly, Sam instead tried to change the subject as he started to look around the room. His hand lingered where it rested on a fingertip, rubbing the smooth metal absently. He wasn't surprised to find himself still in the Autobot medbay and that the large berth Jazz had been placed upon before his resurrection was where the makeshift human medbay had been placed. The silver bot in question was sitting on another berth and arguing with Ratchet in Cyber, although Sam didn't focus enough to translate more than a few words of whining. Apparently Jazz did not like being in the medbay.

Sam's attention was drawn to the side where a small commotion was taking place. Jolt was hiding in a corner in an attempt to get away from his mom, who had a metal pole that she had apparently broken off a Decepticon since it had their symbol on it. Sideswipe was holding his mom in the air, but she didn't seem to notice as she continued to struggle to get to Jolt, screaming obscenities about hurting her baby boy. His dad was talking to Bumblebee since he was most likely more comfortable with him; he was probably trying to get the whole story. All of the others were watching with a mixture of fear for their comrade and amusement. Sam let out a small huff of laughter, which was all he could manage with his damaged throat. "Why is she blaming Jolt? The poor bot was just following orders."

"The official story is that Jolt and I were using the Matrix and his abilities to revive Jazz when you managed to come into contact with one of his whips during the energy transfer. The possibility of that happening to you was uncontested," Optimus stated with a small amount of amusement. "Jolt agreed to the ruse, but I fear he might be regretting that decision now. Mrs. Witwicky is rather fearsome."

"Well, I had to get it from somewhere," Sam typed, but his sarcastic tone was lost in the text.

"Indeed," Optimus rumbled in agreement and Sam felt his face heat up in embarrassment. Mikaela snickered from where she stood beside him and Sam glared at her, which only made her laugh harder. Optimus seemed confused at their interaction but Sam patted the fingertip his hand still rested against reassuringly again.

"Mrs. Witwicky, Sam's awake!" Mikaela shouted as his mom's shouts started to wind down and the effect of her words was immediate.

"Sammy?" His mom paused in her thrashing and looked over to where he was before turning her pole on Sideswipe. "Let me down you giant appliance, I need to get to my son!" It looked like he was rolling his optics as the silver robot lowered his mom to the berth Sam was on before skating over to Jolt. Sam was engulfed in a hug as soon as she reached him and he winced as his injuries were jostled, but he waved Ratchet off when he saw him move forward. "Don't do that to me again! Getting yourself electrocuted...you shouldn't be around these psychotic alien robots anymore!"

Sam waved at his dad the best he could around his mom's hug when Bumblebee placed him on the berth as well and he was happy to be rewarded with his dad pulling his mom off of him. Once his arms were free he glanced up at Optimus to see he was standing at full height again to give them what privacy he could considering he was still lending Sam the use of his servo and Sam hoped the Prime wouldn't take his mom's words to heart.

"Mom, it wasn't their fault. You know my luck. And, like you've told me, I should never leave good friends behind just to make someone else happy," Sam typed before he turned the screen toward his mom so she could read. She let out a sigh and gave him a small smile as she reached up to smooth his hair.

"I suppose you're right, but I'm not happy about it! Have you eaten yet? I'm sure I can get some eggs cooked and stuff them in a blender. Oh don't look like that; I'm sure it wouldn't taste that bad." Sam tried to forget about the blended eggs, knowing he would just throw them away anyways and therefore wouldn't have to drink them. He was hungry, but he wasn't sure what he was going to be allowed to eat at the moment. As if summoned, John's voice spoke up from behind Sam's parents.

"As appetizing as that sounds, Mrs. Witwicky," John drawled as he carefully made his way through the others until he was at Sam's side, medic bag in hand. "Sam is going to be on a strict diet for the foreseeable future after that heart attack and with the medications in his system." He placed the bag down and looked at the gathered group for a moment before sighing. "I beg your pardon, but I need to see my patient and confidentiality is very strict around here." Turning on the southern charm combined with a sheepish, apologetic grin had Judy Witwicky blushing, much to Sam's embarrassment as she started to giggle flirtatiously.

"Judy..." His dad groaned and his mom huffed, slapping her husband's arm lightly.

"Hush, I'm married -- not dead," She snapped before she turned and started walking away after patting Sam's arm one last time. His dad rolled his eyes and gave Sam a grin.

"You alright, son?" Sam nodded in answer to the question and gave him a smile, which was enough to reassure the man as he nodded once in reply and left as well. Sam watched as his dad hurried to catch his angry mom as she demanded Bumblebee help her down first and make her husband wait.

"Well, now that that is done. Miss Banes?" John drawled and looked at Mikaela with a raised brow.

"You already know I'm staying. We've already discussed this with Ratchet. With Sam's situation you're going to need me," Mikaela contested and Sam felt slight confusion well up in him. He understood his health was definitely messed up, but he wasn't sure how Mikaela could help. Other than emotional support, that is.

"I was going to ask you to start explaining the situation, but I suppose that's one way to lead into it," John responded dryly as he pulled out a stethoscope from his bag and moved closer to Sam, quietly asking Optimus to step back as the medic took over helping to support Sam, grumbling under his breath about how they needed a better bed with support. "I'm going to see if there's any change now that he's awake. Alright, Sam, deep breaths in and out. You know the drill."

"Wh--I, ugh, fine," Mikaela moved to the foot of the bed and leaned down on it, bracing herself as she took a breath and looked Sam in the eyes with determination. Sam raised a brow and she sighed. "So, you remember that conversation we had the other night?" Sam nodded and he had a feeling he knew what she was going to say. The words about a change from his dream or vision or whatever it had been whispered in his mind. "Well, it's a thing. The shock and the Allspark energy seemed to accelerate it." Sam felt his breath catch at the words and he forced another deep breath at John's insistence and tried to ignore the rising panic. This was expected, wasn't it?

"According to my scans, most of your skeleton is now comprised of a strange combination of Earthen and Cybertronian metals," Ratchet spoke up as he approached them. Jazz was restrained to the berth and being monitored by Jolt as Sideswipe drew the other silver bot into a conversation to distract him from his attempts to remove his bonds. Sam noted with amusement that even as he spoke, Jazz was not deterred in the slightest from his goal and one of the bindings was already loose. "The transformation of your bones is not completely finished, but I estimate that the transition will be complete within the next 24 hours." A scan ran over him and Sam shuddered at the tingling sensation. "This process does not seem to be painful as the percentage has gone up with no visible reaction..." Ratchet seemed to note to himself.

Sam felt trepidation and slight panic at the words of the Autobot medic. He had known subconsciously that something like this was happening, and he had even been told by Primus himself that some kind of change was happening. It had been the price to pay, but the reality was overwhelming. He was losing his humanity. How long before he could no longer do the stuff he wanted without restrictions? How long before he couldn't even eat his favorite foods? How long before he would lose everything he had known and cherished for the last 18 years of life? The change was still happening every second and he couldn't even feel the difference. How long had it been going on in the background? Since Mission City? Since his death earlier that week? Since two days ago? Sam tried to quell his rising panic and focus inward to see if he could feel the changes happening, but all he noticed was a strange absence. It took him a moment to realize the burning fire in his veins was gone. Instead there was only a mild burn in his chest and if he concentrated he could hear a slight humming beneath the thumping of his pulse in his ears.

"Sam? Sam, I need you to calm down," Mikaela said and Sam felt her hands on his face. He focused on the touch and tried to use it to ground himself, but all he could do was wonder if even his sense of touch would change. Would he lose this connection with his best friend? Lose the way she was always there to help him through his panic? "Stop, Sam. We will get through this. We promised." She caressed his face and Sam leaned into her touch, savoring it. "That's right, focus on this, I'm right here."

"Well, at least there's still a heartbeat, although I could only hear it once he started panicking," John muttered to Ratchet off to the side and Sam tried to turn to the conversation that he was probably not meant to hear. Mikaela held on and forced him to meet her eyes instead.

"'Kaela," Sam whispered and she smiled at him softly. A kiss was placed on his forehead and Sam sighed, closing his eyes. He could sense Optimus hovering off to the side, his familiar spark shining brightly to his senses. The sparks of the others also slowly appeared as the ability came into focus, even the soft golden light of Jazz's spark. Sam focused on the golden spark and the swirls and patterns that formed it, a slight golden rope of light that was barely more than the width of a spiderweb branched apart from the spark and off into a distance Sam could not make out. The bond was so weak with the block Sam could feel at its base that the strand disappeared into the surroundings after a moment. Sam could sense the ache that block caused and he knew that Jazz had never wanted it there. _Prowl_ , his mind whispered and Sam took a deep breath. This was worth it, that spark glowing safe and whole was worth it. The bond Sam swore to fix was worth it. The Cybertronian race was worth it. The price of his humanity was nothing in comparison. With these thoughts Sam focused on the spark he had started to notice the moment his panic had started settling.

His own.

Sam rested his forehead on Mikaela's chest as she pressed her lips to his hair and started rubbing her hands along his arms and he used the new angle to try to see the spark more than sense it. It was strange, seeing his own soul represented as a bright ball of energy, and Sam was surprised by how captivating and despairing the sight was. The bright strands of energy were iridescent, transitioning from one spectrum of color to another in a oddly hypnotic way. The most prevalent color, however, was a soft green hue that formed a halo of light around the spark. This was proof to himself that he was no longer fully human, but it also meant he was now part of something more. He was able to help his friends and this price would be worth it, he would make sure of it.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Optimus rumbled quietly from nearby and Sam opened his eyes, his gaze following the small, ghostlike strand of light that was flickering between his spark and that of Optimus's spark. Bright blue optics met his eyes and Sam could sense the worry and curiosity the Prime was exuding and Sam gave him a tired grin.

"Yeah, Optimus, I'll be fine," Sam replied and he felt wholeheartedly that, eventually, everything would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed! Also, confession, I'm not going to be working on the next chapter just yet ( I do have the rest of the night to work with after all) as I might be a little obsessed with My Hero Academia right now. A fanfic prompt on TikTok with a My Hero Academia and (slight) Transformers crossover has captured my thoughts and I'm probably going to work on that. It'll help me get the urge to write My Hero Academia out and still help me stay in the mindset of wanting to write Transformers fanfiction. Or I might work on a one-shot I've also thought of for My Hero Academia. I usually can't write something unless I'm in the mood for it or it just comes out as forced and stale, so I'm going to just write what I can whether its Transformers or not. Anyways, as always comments and kudos are appreciated! Seriously, I'm thankful for the support I've been getting.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was honestly hoping the last chapter would've gone over better, but the lack of comments, while slightly discouraging, won't stop me. I'm writing this because I enjoy doing so, which is why I will try not to stress about irregular updates. Explanation as to why updates will be more irregular will be at the end.
> 
> This is more of a transition chapter, but I can't have too many plot points start developing at once. One thing I do try to remember from my creative writing class is addressing my problem of trying to introduce too much at once. As my professor said, I can't juggle too many plates at once or both me and the audience will struggle with keeping track and it could all come tumbling down. I don't need to constantly introduce stuff to maintain a constant, action-ridden pace. I have to make what I already introduced settle and make sense in the readers' minds for the impact of those plot point to even be relevant enough to garner the wanted reaction.

Chapter 4

About 20 hours prior to events of the last chapter.

Mikaela stared blankly at the white sheets before her, their crisp lines betraying how still the form beneath them had remained for the past 24 hours. Possibly more now. She had only just been allowed access and had only known about Sam's heart attack and the events surrounding it for several hours. It was saying something that she still knew before Sam's parents, but she also knew that was because she would be able to help Ratchet with any complications. It baffled her that as a mechanic and fledging Autobot medic apprentice she was going to be able to help keep her boyfriend alive. She didn't know in what realm of existence this situation should make sense, but she was also not surprised. Sam was always finding himself in these situations and it was her job to help him through just like he always did with her. Her situations might have involved nightmares and more normal human matters than his, but that was their relationship. They stood on even ground. It was the reason she had been so upset he had been secretive when first starting college and she had walked in on him with that bitch. She had finally found someone she could trust, someone who loved her (although he had not said it at the time) for her and not just her body, and he had shattered that trust. The pieces had been gathered and their relationship mended, but it was still hard for her to remember even though she knew Sam was not an active participant in that breach of trust.

A slight shift in breathing distracted her and she looked up hopefully only to see Sam's face relaxing once more and the silence of the room became stifling once again. The machines attached to Sam had remained quiet and useless, unable to read any of Sam's vitals with the interference his spark was causing. His _spark_. Her boyfriend now had the alien equivalent of his soul resting in his chest against his heart and his body was slowly starting to transform into one of those aliens, or something similar. Mikaela flicked her eyes over to the semi resting casually in the corner of Autobot medbay and then over to the yellow Camaro that was slowly driving closer, engine merely a purr in the silence. She was still amazed at the ability of the scout to be silent with such a powerful engine under the hood, but then again, their systems were different than human-made vehicles. They merely took up the appearance of Earth vehicles and not the attributes. Their materials were still alien and resilient and their machinery was still ridiculously advanced - a fact she was intimately familiar with ever since she took Ratchet up on his offer to teach her. It had been a choice she had been surprised to be given, but despite Sam's more vital role in their war she had still been with them since their first arrival and so she was trusted enough for Ratchet to want to give her the skills to help stabilize Bumblebee or any Cybertronian until Ratchet or Jolt could arrive. And now she was going to be using those skills to help Sam more and more as the change progressed. And she knew it would progress. Sam had had suspicions merely a day and a half prior and here he was with half his organs no longer organic and his skeleton turning into metal. And his spark that was somehow sitting inside the mostly still organic chest and not causing more damage with its energy.

Bumblebee reached her and transformed with a quiet whirring of gears and she watched the process with the mild fascination she had always had as pieces slotted into place and formed into her friend - the closest one she had after Sam. The scout had always been there for them and was a vital addition to all her memories the past two years and she wouldn't have it any other way. Bright blue optics regarded her silently for a moment before Bumblebee let out a slight warble of noise and held his hand out for her to climb onto. With a sigh and a tired smile, she stood from her chair at Sam's side and climbed onto the offered lift. With a chirp, Bumblebee gathered her close to his chest and gave one last glance at the still figure of Sam before they left the medbay. Out of the corner of her eye, Mikaela saw Optimus start to transform as they exited. Outside the hangar doors Arcee waited and Mikaela gave her a questioning look and a wave, the latter of which was returned.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay? The bond should've helped stabilize your spark, right?" Mikaela questioned with worry, careful to make sure no one was around before she spoke of the bond. With Ratchet's reassurance of her trust and Bumblebee's own regard for her, Arcee had also decided to trust Mikaela with the information about their sparkbond, but she was still cautious of accidentally breaking that trust. It had honestly surprised Mikaela when she had been informed that sweet, lovable, and slightly immature Bumblebee was essentially married and had been for a couple hundred years. Arcee and Bumblebee had bonded on accident, their sparks had called to each other and when they had spark-merged a bond had been formed. Subconsciously, they had to have wanted to bond, but actively spark-bonding was a path to a quick death because when one side of the bond died the other was usually quick to follow and thus it was frowned upon during wartime. To prevent the bond from growing too strong the two had been separated and contact limited, but when Arcee was destabilizing at the shattering of her other forms and her own injuries, Bumblebee had stepped forward and gladly reinforced the bond the moment Ratchet mentioned it would help. Mikaela could admit she was slightly jealous of the love and dedication a sparkbond entailed and the sight of Sam and Alice flashed in her mind briefly. She felt guilty immediately and instead forced herself to remember the last night on the ship when her, Sam, and Leo had bonded over shared trauma, but the reminder mostly forced her to realize the fact that she hadn't slept more than a few hours since then. Poor Leo was probably in the same state and wondering why she wasn't in their shared room. He only knew that Sam was injured but she had been forbidden from telling him anything else. Not that she had had the time to even speak to the other boy. Thinking of sleep, she couldn't quite hide her yawn as Arcee started speaking.

"Everything is fine. Bumblebee and I merely wish to speak to you about Samuel," Arcee gestured to the slightly open doors of the hangar and Mikaela could just barely see Optimus sitting beside the berth on the shipping container that had been pulled away from Ratchet's desk. One servo rested near Sam while the other held a datapad that the leader was perusing when he wasn't gazing upon the man in the bed in what Mikaela assumed was worry. She was not able to read the emotions of the Autobots as clearly as Sam could. It was like he could feel what they were feeling whereas she only had conversation and limited facial expressions to go by. "It is reassuring to finally see Prime allowing himself to be close to someone. Their bond is very strong."

"Well, yeah, they died for each other," Mikaela said and wondered at what Arcee was trying to say. Arcee paused for a moment, helm tilted toward Bumblebee and Mikaela knew he was communicating with her either over their bond or the comms. Arcee nodded and transformed into her alt-mode before Bee set Mikaela down and transformed himself, opening his door for Mikaela in invitation, which she accepted with none of the hesitation she used to have. She shivered as she realized how cold she had been in the nighttime air when she felt the warmth of the cab and whispered a small thanks to Bumblebee as he adjusted the seat and heated it up beneath her. They drove in silence for a moment before Mikaela found herself on the beach with the other two Autobots, still sitting inside Bee's cab to stay warm, as the radio crackled to life with a flare of static. "So, what's up?"

"The sky?" Arcee responded and Mikaela snorted a laugh. Bumblebee must have sent Arcee a correction over their bond as she started speaking again. "I swear I will never understand these human euphemisms. What is 'up' is that Prime has never been this close to another. Not even Elita-1 when they were courting before the war. I recognize a spark-call when I see one and it is more prevalent now that Samuel's spark has formed."

"...What?" Mikaela felt all previous humor leave her and she felt a pit forming in her gut.

"I...can...see...their...connection..." Bumblebee pieced together the words from various stations and Mikaela stared at the radio incomprehensibly for a moment. He could see? Did that mean he had the same ability Sam apparently had? The one she had learned about when Ratchet had explained what had happened to her and a rather pissed off medic named John? The ability that Sam had kept from her?

"You can see their sparks?"

"Bumblebee has always had a connection to the sparks of others, it was why he was accepted as an acolyte in the Temple of the Allspark at such a young age. His proximity to the Allspark only strengthened the ability," Arcee responded proudly and Mikaela nodded absently, although she knew the femme Autobot could not see the action. Mikaela could understand what they were saying and deep down she had seen the signs, although the species difference had always deterred her thoughts from continuing in such a direction. There had been a time early in her relationship with Sam when she had worried about him having feelings for Bee, but again she had known that as a human teenage boy the different species aspect would deter such actions if only for a physical reason. And she had realized how silly her fears about Bee had been when she saw just how brotherly the two behaved towards one another. "Do you understand what I am saying, Mikaela?" She did and she was surprised at the anger that bloomed in her.

"You think Sam and I should break up? Now? When he's going through all of this?" She snapped out, gesturing angrily in the direction of the medbay at her last words.

"It is Cybertronian custom that when a spark-call is recognized the intendeds initiate a tentative courting to see if the bond is desired instead of just fated, current partners aside," Arcee responded and despite her limited ability to read the emotions of the Cybertronians, Mikaela could hear the perplexed tone easily enough. "As the species matter and differing customs is currently an issue, I felt it best that I speak with you about this. I intend no upset. However, Samuel will have to be eased into this and from what Bee has told me you are the best one for this task."

"Really, Bee? You thought it best for me to be the one to tell _my boyfriend_ that he might be courted by his giant, alien friend? Just because they share some kind of connection..." She trailed off, anger fading as she remembered the conversation two nights previous.

' _Apparently my fate has always been intertwined with Optimus's,'_ Sam's voice echoed in her ears and she huffed a slightly hysterical laugh. Of course, Sam knew about the connection even if he didn't know the extent of it. The laughter turned into hysterical giggles that lasted for a minute before she settled down, placing her head back against the headrest with more force than usual.

"Of-fucking-course," She muttered, and Bee gave a questioning trill instead of chaining together more words via the radio. "Sam already knows, Bee. I guess when the Primes resurrected him, they had told him something about how his fate was intertwined with Optimus's and has been for thousands of years already." She paused and felt tears welling up in her eyes, although she refused to let them fall. "I guess I was just a placeholder. _Again_." Her voice broke on the last word and she sniffled as she tried to blink rapidly to hold back the tears. She knew Sam didn't see her that way, but it was like the universe was saying 'Oh, you're finally loved and appreciated, time to fuck that up.' It was just like with the boyfriends before Sam when she just wanted to feel welcome and part of something that wasn't her fucked up family. Where she wanted to be loved and not stuck in an abusive Aunt's house waiting for her felon father to rescue her, although privately knowing she was going to be doing most of the rescuing for her father. Perhaps when she and Sam broke up, she would be spending more time at the shop instead of with the Autobots and her best friend. She wasn't even that scared of losing the romantic relationship, she just didn't want to lose her friend and the family she loved more than anything. After the past two weeks and everything that had happened it was all getting to be too much. She wiped away a tear that managed to escape and then another before with a broken sob she gave up and leaned forward, burying her head in her hands.

For a moment, the only sound in the vehicle was her quiet sobs before Mikaela heard the click of the door opening and felt a cold rush of air before a large hand gently grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door. She stumbled briefly before Arcee steadied her and she looked up at the pink femme questioningly, rubbing at her eyes with her free hand in a futile attempt to clear her blurry vision. Bee transformed behind her and in a dizzying motion Mikaela found herself scooped off the ground and cradled against Bee's chest. Arcee hovered beside them worryingly as Bee tried to warble to her in an attempt to soothe her agitated emotions. Arcee ran a finger down her back to console her as she spoke.

"I apologize. The internet only provides so much data on human emotions and the reactions of your species to various situations varies greatly. I only know what public record is regarding your previous relationships, but know that you were _never_ a placeholder to Sam," Arcee stated with conviction and Mikaela looked at her with cautious hope. "Bee says that sometimes humans can think illogically and come to the wrong conclusions and I fear that is what is occurring. Will you tell us your thought process?"

"I -- I know it's silly, but..." She trailed off and Bumblebee gave what she assumed was a whirr of encouragement. "I just feel like if Sam and I aren't in a relationship then there's no reason for me to be around. I'm expendable while Sam isn't. But he's my best friend, one of my only friends really, and I don't want to lose him or any of this."

"That _is_ silly," Arcee responded and Mikaela felt a stirring of anger in her chest, but it disappeared as the femme continued speaking. "Ratchet would never waste his time on someone he deems expendable. Bee and I would not approach you in such a way if we did not care for your feelings. You are the only human to know of our bond and that means I do have some faith and trust in you. You are quite admirable for a human femme, actually. You care for Samuel and help him in ways that some those who have been friends among our race for thousands of years still do not do for each other. You two cannot and will not be separated, however, even as an outsider I can see how your relationship has been changing since you last visited the base. The romantic aspect has been fading for some time, has it not?" Mikaela's mind flashed to the image of Alice and Sam kissing again. Sam had been a victim in that, she knew, but she also knew the attraction he had probably felt for the fake girl. The last time they had kissed was when she had used the tactic to distract him from his wandering thoughts that she had noticed him getting lost in. That memory made her think of the other times when her kisses and touches had been more to help ground both of them instead of for affection. She was surprised to realize the instances of the former were more numerous than the latter in the past few months. Then why had she been so insistent on hearing Sam say he loved her? Maybe she was confusing the more platonic love she was realizing she felt towards him with romantic love? Perhaps, they had stayed together more because of their shared memories and ability to help each other than because they were _in_ love.

"...Shit, you're right," Mikaela finally stated and Arcee laughed lightly, stroking another finger along Mikaela's back absently. Mikaela shivered at the feeling and let out a yawn as the exhaustion and the effect of the tears caught up with her. "Damnit, I need to get some sleep before Sam finally wakes up. I'm not going to say anything to him yet, he needs to get through the other revelations first."

"Understood," Arcee stated and Bee nodded as he placed Mikaela back on the ground, gently running one of his own fingers down her back before he transformed again and opened his door in invitation once more. Mikaela gave a tired smile and wave to Arcee as she clambered in again and Bee started driving to the dorm she shared with Leo and Sam. Perhaps with Leo there she would be able to sleep some so long as the boy kept his hands to himself. They tended to wander in his sleep, and he had already received a black eye from her, which she felt only slightly bad about. Leo was honorable despite how he acted, but his act was still obnoxious enough to make her not feel too bad for his aching eye.

"Mikaela," The radio crackled and a static-filled voice with a slight British accent came through the speakers. "Know that you are one of my best friends and I will always love you." Mikaela gave a watery smile to the radio. She knew just how much physical pain that had probably put Bee in for him to say that and she appreciated the gesture.

"I love you too, Bee," She said in response and gave a small pat to the dash before continuing with a small, mischievous grin. "But if you keep speaking, I'm not going to distract Ratchet for you again. I was bruised for weeks from that wrench he threw, and it barely nicked me." The Autobot CMO had pulled most of the force out of the throw and managed to mostly redirect the wrench he had thrown out of habit when he remembered Mikaela was a human and therefore fragile, but he had still managed to hit her. He still felt bad for it, although she had already used up the sympathy points enough that she could no longer use it against him. "Still, thank you."

"Anytime." She noted with amusement that, this time, it was a radio clip.

* * *

Sam couldn't help the sigh of contentment that escaped him as he felt the hot water hit his back and slide down the scarred skin in rivulets. Tense muscles slowly started to relax under the heat and the gentle massage of the water pressure, and he pressed his head against the cool wall of the stall and took the time to enjoy the rare moment to himself and away from everything that was happening. All morning he had been speaking with Ratchet, John, Mikaela, and Optimus about this new development and the others he had not really had the time to discuss. Absently he ran his fingertips across the now exposed symbol in the Prime language that had been hidden by his cast and he shivered at the feel of cool metal. He had already been told about his new status as a Prime by the time his now useless cast was removed and the symbol was exposed, merely confirming what the use of the Matrix had already revealed. Apparently only Primes could use the Matrix, so the moment it had lit up in his hands in the desert his new status had been conveyed to all who had witnessed it. The confirmation meant that the treaty paperwork needed to be completely overhauled to reflect his new status, again, but they had decided to wait until the change he was undergoing had run its course, although none were sure of the extent that change could take. Sam had a healthy suspicion that it was going to be a complete transition from human to Cybertronian. Could he even be called a Cybertronian when he was from Earth? Maybe, if only because it was from the direct influence of Cybertronian relics and a freaking god, which he still needed to process and freak out over, that he was changing in the first place.

He pulled away from the wall and stepped back fully into the spray of the shower, hissing as the few remaining burns were irritated by the heat. The ethics of Ratchet's experimental medicine aside, Sam could not deny their effectiveness. His healing had been sped up monumentally and his burns were now mostly scars. Even the damage on his leg looked more like a months old knot of scar tissue than the remains of a wound inflicted around two weeks ago. His bones were healed by his changing form as his skeleton made the transformation into metal. Because of the transition Ratchet had wanted Sam to stay in the medbay for observation for another night, but Sam had managed to convince Ratchet otherwise when he had pointed out the sleeping Mikaela. Explaining their nightmares and codependency on getting through them each night had not been fun, but it had been necessary.

The pressure of the water wavered for a moment and Sam frowned before he started washing instead of just soaking in the heat and feel of the water. There were others that probably needed the hot water more than him. Sam was just grateful he had been allowed to go to his room and enjoy the small, connected bathroom there instead of having to go to the communal showers or even the human shower in the Autobot medbay. He was especially grateful for not having to shower in the medbay as he would not put it past Ratchet to want to monitor him. The CMO had no sense of shame built into his processors. Sam paused as he scrubbed over his chest, the pressure slightly too hard for the still sensitive area, and rested his hand on the skin. Beneath the surface he could feel a slight buzzing and if he focused, he could hear the slight humming that was already becoming a background noise to him. The revelation of him acquiring a spark had been one of the few times he had seen Ratchet hesitant to speak, but Sam had saved him the effort by revealing he had already realized what had happened. After that, Ratchet mentioned his speculations that the burning in his veins that Mikaela had told them about (and at this Ratchet had given Sam a reproving look) had been the spark energy not being able to gather in one spot until he had been electrocuted and the energy focused on his heart, the spark fully forming and attaching to the now only partially organic organ.

"Sam?" Mikaela's voice startled him out of his thoughts and he quickly grabbed onto the wall to maintain his balance as he jumped in surprise. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Sam said quickly, thankful that his throat had already healed thanks to Ratchet's medications still being in his system, as he hurried to wash off all the soap. "I'll be out in a minute." There was no response to his shout and Sam assumed that meant she had heard him. After a moment more under the relaxing stream, he reluctantly turned off the water and dried off, wrapping a scratchy towel around his waist as he stepped into the bedroom. Their shared quarters were large compared to the rooms he had seen the other soldiers in, but with three occupants it quickly became cramped. In the corner there was a desk with an open laptop that Leo was currently working on in an effort to catch up on his schoolwork. Sam had not even bothered to try to work on any of the curriculum and at this point he wasn't even sure if there was a reason to do so. He probably wasn't even going to be human for much longer. Plus, he could learn everything easily on his own. Leo gave him a quick once over before he returned his attention back to the laptop and Sam couldn't help the slight smirk as he saw the black eye the other boy was sporting. Apparently, Leo had gotten handsy in his sleep when Mikaela was taking over the duty of helping the other boy with his nightmares and his girlfriend had reacted without thinking. Mikaela was sitting on her bed, legs crisscrossed as she leaned back against the wall. She was frowning as she looked at him and Sam sighed, already knowing that the upcoming conversation would be a difficult one. He grabbed a pair of noise-canceling headphones from his nightstand and tossed them at Leo's head, laughing at the indignant shout of the other boy.

"Hey, hey, I'm trying to study for a quiz! Seriously, only a week or so into the school year and there's already a freaking quiz. And being placed on the most wanted list by a terrorist is not a 'sufficient excuse.' I seriously hate our astronomy professor," Leo grumbled as he adjusted the headphones. "I would say you should study too, but you already memorized the freaking book. Stupid superpowers..." Leo shoved the headphones on and returned his focus to his laptop and Sam huffed a laugh. Turning around he grabbed some of the clothes that had been delivered while he was asleep for those two days and quickly slid his boxers on under the towel before he finished changing completely. Mikaela had seen him naked enough already that her presence did not deter him much. After he was dressed, he climbed into the bed beside her and sat down, legs spread out in front of him. She leaned into him with a sigh and Sam gently ran a hand through her hair as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a side hug.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked and Mikaela sighed again as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"...I think we should break up," Mikaela said quietly and Sam tensed for a moment, hand pausing in its strokes through her hair before he relaxed and continued his ministrations. While it was a surprise to hear the words from her, the idea of a breakup had been on his mind ever since he had accepted the change happening to him. Their relationship had been more a friendship than anything, the adrenaline filled love confession aside, for months now. Now here he was turning into something no longer human and it wouldn't be fair to her to continue a relationship. He had asked Ratchet if biologically he was changing more and had already had it confirmed that he had ceased aging and he already had a suspicion as to what the fertility results would be. Mikaela deserved to be with someone who could offer her a family. There was also the situation with Optimus to consider. The image of that ghostly bond between Optimus and him flashed in his mind and out of habit Sam searched his senses for it, but the evidence disappeared with distance and he knew that would be the case until the bond was finalized. Having the knowledge of the Allspark floating around his mind certainly helped to clear up matters for him sometimes.

"...Okay," Sam replied just as quietly, gathering her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. This wouldn't change anything. They were still best friends and always would be. Mikaela let out a small giggle and Sam smiled as she pulled back and looked at him with a relieved smile of her own.

"Here I was worrying about making you upset and you're just like 'okay.' You're unbelievable, Sam," She mocked and the smile she gave him assured him there was no anger.

"But what brought this on? I mean, I know why I was thinking of it, but still," Sam said and Mikaela gave him a surprised look. Before he would've freaked out at the thought of him and Mikaela breaking up, so he could understand her surprise.

"I had a conversation with Bee and Arcee," She responded, and Sam felt confusion at her words and at the slight stir of the Allspark knowledge recognizing _something_ about the conversation. "Well, you know how you can see bonds and sparks and such? Thanks for sharing that, really, it was great finding out from others." Her sarcasm was not lost on him. _"Anyways_ , Bee has the ability too. He said he can see the spark call between you and Optimus. With how you two have been behaving around each other lately I can't say I was too surprised. Plus, while I love you dearly, we haven't really been _in_ love for a little while. What about you? Why are you going along with it? Is it the bond-thing too?" Of course others knew about the potential bond before he had even really accepted its existence.

"Maybe," He wasn't even sure how to pursue investigating that bond, honestly. "Plus, I'm kind of not human anymore," Sam said as he absently tapped at his chest and the spark within. There was silence for a moment before he looked over at Leo as the other boy let out a string of angry Spanish. He could see the graded quiz results on the screen and winced as he saw the low C. "Just, don't get with Leo please. That would be awkward."

"Like there was ever a chance of that," Mikaela laughed as she smacked his shoulder lightly. "No, I think I might be done with guys for a while. None of the ones before you could compare, and I don't think any of the ones after would either. I might try girls, or I might even just focus on my studies with Ratchet for a while. Looks like I'll be needing to know more than ever now." She gave a pointed look to Sam at that and he grinned sheepishly. She then turned a contemplative gaze on Leo. "I think you should tell him."

"About the breakup? Man, he's going to be so upset when he realizes he can't get with you and then so excited at the thought of lesbian porn." Mikaela gave him a pointed glare and Sam dropped the grin he was sporting at his words with a sigh. "I know, and I will, but I just want to stop thinking about all of this for a while. It's just been so much at once and I need to do something to relax and distract myself before I have another serious conversation or else I'm going to start snapping at everyone."

"Yeah, we all know how grumpy you can get," Mikaela's said with a wry grin. "So, what were you thinking of doing?"

"I think we should wash the Autobots. They need and deserve it and it'll be a nice break and distraction for everyone. Plus, I heard that asshole Galloway had delayed the building of proper washracks for them, so they've had to make do with hoses and helping each other, and with everything going on even Optimus has done nothing more than a cursory scrub." Most of the bots were still covered in grime from the battle days previous and Sam knew the sand from the desert was probably irritating in their gears. With everything happening even Ratchet remained filthy as he tried to repair some Decepticon corpses, although Sam had cautioned him that the ones with too severe of injuries were probably beyond reviving. Sam had at first wondered why the other femmes were not being fixed before he had been told that they had actually been components of Arcee and been possible through the splitting of her spark in a battle early in the war. It had explained why the sparks in all three had matched. "After we visit the mess hall, though, I'm starving."

"Let's hope your mom isn't there waiting with some blended eggs," Mikaela commented idly as she stood and stretched before grabbing a pillow and tossing it at Leo's head.

"Oh god, I hope not," Sam whined as he stood as well and slipped on his shoes. He hoped his mom wasn't even in the mess hall because she was going to wonder why he wasn't on any dietary restrictions like John had said. Ratchet's medicine and the changes he was undergoing meant no real complications from unhealthy foods, or at least none that would last past the change. The medic had only told him to not eat too much, which Sam was grateful for. He wasn't sure how long he had before he was no longer going to be able to enjoy human food and having restrictions would suck. Sam had no doubt this change was going to be a complete one, especially considering his conversation with Primus. "I'm gonna give Will a call to see if he wants to help with the bots and see if he'll arrange a ride to the mess. I'm really not up for walking." While the change was causing him to feel sore all over, it was mostly his poor sense of direction and just wanting to be lazy that was making him call for a ride.

"Damnit, chica, stop throwing stuff at me!" Leo griped as he picked up the pillow and threw it back, laptop and headphones resting forgotten on the desk. Sam chuckled as an impromptu pillow fight started while he pressed Will's contact in the phone they had given him.

"Lennox," Will's voice answered after the first ring.

"Hey, Will, it's Sam. You probably already know that though..." Sam rambled and cursed his awkwardness on phones. "Anyways, I'm thinking of having a car wash with the Autobots today if you and Epps and whoever else wants to help. You don't have to, but I figured it would be a nice time for everyone..."

"Sam, remember we only have a minute," Will interjected quickly and Sam nodded even though he knew Will couldn't see it.

"Okay, then also can you see if someone can bring us to the mess hall?" He heard a small ding indicating the minute was almost up. "Shit."

"Yeah, Bee will be by the gate in 5. I'll see you in the mess." The call was ended abruptly, and Sam was relieved to see the time for the call was just under a minute. While they were going to try and fix this war and the mess with the virus, they still weren't sure how much the Decepticons were being affected by the virus now that the original host for it was gone. So, a successful hack from Soundwave was something to be avoided. From what Ratchet had gathered studying the remains of Ravage some of the virus had broken down, but until they had a living Decepticon they wouldn't know how much of that was from the Fallen's death or just the death of the Decepticon itself. The coding was also in the language of the Primes and was having to be translated by either Optimus or Sam, which slowed progress immensely when one of the translators kept going unconscious and the other had meetings to attend. Sam hadn't even had a chance to help once, although he was certain that would change in the coming days.

A pillow connecting to his face caused Sam to splutter as his thoughts scattered and he turned to the perpetrator. Leo was looking at him aghast while Mikaela had a smug look on her face. Sam had a feeling he knew what this was about, so he whacked Mikaela with the pillow and she tumbled onto the bed laughing.

"Sam! What is this I hear about your girlfriend going for girls `cause she doesn't want me hitting on her?! You broke up with that hot chica?!" Leo shouted and Sam couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him. "Dude, seriously, why would you break up? You two were all lovey-dovey a few nights ago."

"I'll tell you later, we gotta get to the gate in 5 minutes or we won't have a ride to the mess," Sam said and Leo hurried to get ready while Sam gave Mikaela an exasperated look. "You couldn't wait, could you?" She feigned innocence at his accusatory tone and he rolled his eyes before running a brush through his hair quickly and turning to the door. There was no reason to style it if they were going to just get messy cleaning the bots anyways. "I'm leaving!" The other two quickly followed him out the door, Leo grumbling as Mikaela continued to tease him. Sam knew that Bee wouldn't leave even if they were a little late, but the others didn't know it was Bee and he was eager to get some food and get to work washing the bots. It was a desperately needed distraction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this past week has been hectic. My mom's visit consisted of her not understanding that working overnights means I sleep during the day and so she needed to stop waking me up. This of course resulted in me not getting enough sleep, which resulted in me getting sick and missing work. Then my youngest dog (and the most hyperactive one) was neutered only for him to manage to tear apart his crate, tear off the cone of shame, and irritate his stitches the next night while I was at work. That resulted in a vet visit where he received more pain meds, antibiotics (an infection was starting), a calming medicine, and another cone to layer over the other one. It also resulted in me having to sleep even later and not be able to take advantage of not having to babysit for once on a Saturday to write. Two nights after that he managed to tear off his cone again because I was a dumbass and forgot to double them up before I left for work. He only had it off for an hour because my sister had checked on him before taking my nephew to school and he had had it on then, but that hour between her leaving and my getting home was long enough for the cone to come off and the stitches to disappear. So, there had to be another trip to the vet and I'm so thankful I have a plan of sorts with them and don't have to pay for checkups each time. Luckily, the incision had healed enough no more stitches were needed (although cones needed to stay to avoid him damaging the incision or causing another infection), but again I had to go to bed late and woke up with no time for anything before I had to work. I've been busy with babysitting since and tonight, when I have a chance to write, this same puppy managed to, in the three hours I was at a friend's house, tear off both cones as well as his collar and the bandanna that were helping hold both cones in place. After dealing with that I then had to take my small nap so I would be able to function while staying up all night to get back on my sleep schedule. The nap ended up starting even later than usual because of the cone incident, which then cut into whatever time I manage to find to write on Thursday nights. So now y'all are getting what I managed to edit of all I have written so far. Nothing else is written ahead. Hopefully I'll be able to get more time to write as I have some scenes I'm eager to get to, but with the way my luck has been going I can't guarantee it. So, I can't promise when the next update will be. Hopefully not long. I just haven't had a chance to write anything.


End file.
